jobfacts

Research and development (R&D) managers

SOC 2020 2161

Managers in this unit group plan, organise, co-ordinate and manage resources to undertake the systematic investigation necessary for the development of new, or to enhance the performance of existing, products and services.

Also calledInsights managerManagerAnalytics managerClinical study managerProject managerWind tunnel managerand 45 more titles
Typical full-time pay£55,5002025 Provisional
People in the job86,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,600↑ 5.8%on last year · 115th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time research and development (R&D) managers earn between £44,100 and £75,200 a year.

What full-time research and development (R&D) managers earn, 2025
£55,500 typical£36,900lowest 10%£78,800top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£44,100–£75,200)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£36,900
Lowest 20% earn less than£42,000
25%£44,100
Median£55,500
75%£75,200
Top 20% earn more than£78,800
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £55,500
West Midlands!£64,100
South West£61,300
North East!£60,900
East of England!£57,000
South East!£55,600
London!£54,800
Yorkshire and The Humber!£51,900
North West!£51,800
Scotland!£50,800
Wales!£40,900
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £55,500
West Midlands£64,100 (small sample)
South West£61,300
North East£60,900 (small sample)
East of England£57,000 (small sample)
South East£55,600 (small sample)
London£54,800 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£51,900 (small sample)
North West£51,800 (small sample)
Scotland£50,800 (small sample)
Wales£40,900 (small sample)
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £49,900
  • 2024 £54,600
  • 2025 Provisional£55,500
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,600 jobs for research and development (R&D) managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 20261,813
Jun 20261,784
May 20261,700
Apr 20261,500
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,290
Jan 20261,674
Dec 20251,005
Nov 20252,013
Oct 20251,822
Sept 20251,674
Aug 20251,652
Jul 20251,811
Jun 20251,950
May 20252,086
Apr 20251,475
Mar 20251,728
Feb 20251,883
Jan 20251,366
Dec 2024863
Nov 20241,235
Oct 20241,278
Sept 20241,442
Aug 20241,243
Jul 20241,336
Jun 20241,559
May 20241,652
Apr 20241,634
Mar 20241,425
Feb 20241,562
Jan 20241,884
Dec 20231,594
Nov 20231,644
Oct 20231,460
Sept 20231,385
Aug 20231,655
Jul 20231,639
Jun 20232,348
May 20232,274
Apr 20231,812
Mar 20232,333
Feb 20232,506
Jan 20232,700
Dec 20222,637
Nov 20222,786
Oct 20222,865
Sept 20222,572
Aug 20222,687
Jul 20222,713
Jun 20222,931
May 20223,394
Apr 20222,692
Mar 20223,185
Feb 20223,005
Jan 20223,122
Dec 20212,522
Nov 20212,768
Oct 20212,634
Sept 20212,294
Aug 20212,364
Jul 20212,683
Jun 20212,196
May 20212,332
Apr 20212,018
Mar 20212,913
Feb 20211,885
Jan 20212,076
Dec 20201,626
Nov 20201,826
Oct 20201,761
Sept 20201,591
Aug 20201,341
Jul 20201,364
Jun 20201,384
May 20201,282
Apr 20201,492
Mar 20202,800
Feb 20202,837
Jan 20202,517
Dec 20191,816
Nov 20192,413
Oct 20192,450
Sept 20192,322
Aug 20192,378
Jul 20192,919
Jun 20192,811
May 20192,696
Apr 20191,834
Mar 20192,320
Feb 20192,118
Jan 20192,299
Dec 20181,506
Nov 20182,067
Oct 20182,110
Sept 20181,948
Aug 20181,760
Jul 20182,016
Jun 20182,129
May 20182,288
Apr 20182,102
Mar 20182,399
Feb 20182,356
Jan 20182,362
Dec 20171,649
Nov 20171,951
Oct 20172,125
Sept 20172,093
Aug 20172,225
Jul 20172,025
Jun 20172,605
May 20172,473
Apr 20172,438
Mar 20172,764
Feb 20172,538
Jan 20172,863
Is there a shortage of research and development (R&D) managers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
28%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, which includes research and development (R&D) managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,677
Manchester187
Birmingham149
Leeds136
Bristol, City of123
Glasgow City93
Cambridge67
Newcastle upon Tyne63
Reading56
Liverpool56
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where research and development (R&D) managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 124 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, India, Japan, ranking it 92nd of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of research and development (R&D) managers
n/p
22%!
35%
32%
10%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3422% (small sample)
35–4435%
45–5432%
55–6410% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent84%
Higher education below degree!4.8%
A levels or equivalent!7.2%
GCSEs or equivalent!3.5%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent84%
Higher education below degree4.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent7.2% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent3.5% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering (11%), tertiary education (11%), market research and public opinion polling (6%), general public administration activities (4.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
84%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 7
Apprenticeships take
2½ years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • establishes product design and performance objectives in consultation with other business functions
  • liaises with production departments to investigate and resolve manufacturing problems
  • develops research methodology, implements and reports upon research investigations undertaken
  • plans work schedules, assigns tasks and delegates responsibilities to the research and development team
  • monitors the standards of scientific and technical research undertaken by the research team

Skills

  • analyse consumer buying trends
  • analyse economic trends
  • analyse market financial trends
  • develop product design
  • manage product testing
  • perform market research
  • plan product management
  • provide improvement strategies
  • analyse business objectives
  • analyse external factors of companies
  • analyse internal factors of companies
  • assess the feasibility of implementing developments
  • carry out strategic research
  • combine business technology with user experience

Knowledge

  • market research
  • cost management
  • sales strategies
  • corporate social responsibility
  • innovation processes
  • intellectual property law
  • marketing principles
  • product life-cycle

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Working with ideas and solving problems

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes research and development (R&D) managers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.