Profession research and development manager

Research and development managers coordinate the efforts of scientists, academical researchers, product developers, and market researchers towards the creation of new products, the improvement of current ones or other research activities, including scientific research. They manage and plan research and development activities of an organisation, specify goals and budget requirements and manage the staff.

Personality Type

• Enterprising / Investigative
• Investigative / Enterprising

Knowledge

• Intellectual property law

  The regulations that govern the set of rights protecting products of the intellect from unlawful infringement.

• Marketing principles

  The principles of managing the relationship between consumers and products or services for the purpose of increasing sales and improving advertising techniques.

• Market research

  The processes, techniques, and purposes comprised in the first step for developing marketing strategies such as the collection of information about customers and the definition of segments and targets.

• Corporate social responsibility

  The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.

• Project management

  Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.

• Innovation processes

  The techniques, models, methods and strategies which contribute to the promotion of steps towards innovation.

Skills

• Assess the feasibility of implementing developments

  Study developments and innovation proposals in order to determine their applicability in the business and their feasibility of implementation from various fronts such as economic impact, business image, and consumer response.

• Identify new business opportunities

  Pursue potential customers or products in order to generate additional sales and ensure growth.

• Carry out strategic research

  Research long term possibilities for improvements and plan steps to achieve them.

• Manage budgets

  Plan, monitor and report on the budget.

• Manage staff

  Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.

• Analyse business objectives

  Study data according to business strategies and objectives and make both short-term and long-term strategic plans.

• Manage research and development projects

  Plan, organise, direct and follow up on projects aimed at developing new products, implementing innovative services, or further developing existing ones.

• Perform market research

  Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

• Analyse internal factors of companies

  Research and understand various internal factors that influence the operation of companies such as its culture, strategic foundation, products, prices, and available resources.

• Work in an economically efficient manner

  Perform work processes as efficiently as possible, avoiding the waste of materials, time, and energy as much as possible.

• Seek innovation in current practices

  Search for improvements and present innovative solutions, creativity and alternative thinking to develop new technologies, methods or ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

• Report analysis results

  Produce research documents or give presentations to report the results of a conducted research and analysis project, indicating the analysis procedures and methods which led to the results, as well as potential interpretations of the results.

• Analyse external factors of companies

  Perform research and analysis of the external factor pertaining to companies such as consumers, position in the market, competitors, and political situation.

• Represent the organisation

  Act as representative of the institution, company or organisation to the outside world.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB