Skills & Competencies for Research and Development Director

Research and Development Director job profile

JOB SUMMARY for Research and Development Director

Directs and implements an organization's research and development policies, objectives, and initiatives.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES for Research and Development Director

Ensures research and development activities will maintain an organization's competitive position and profitability. Consults with top management and research and development team and makes recommendations based on research findings and product performance.

Research and Development Director SALARY RANGE

BASE 50%
$228,084
TOTAL 50%
$266,841
Job Level
M04
Job Code
EX05000081
Education/Degree
JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent
Reports To
Top Management

Research and Development Director Skills and Competencies List

Proficiency Levels and Behavioural Indicators
Salary.com identifies five increasing levels of proficiency for each skill/competency. Some jobs require only a relatively low level of proficiency in each skill/competency, while other jobs will require a more advanced level of proficiency in the same skill/competency. These levels rate the degree of proficiency (skill level, expertise) we expect the incumbent to perform in the given skill/competency for the given job. Note that we intentionally do not associate timeframes or years of experience in performing the skill/competency because that can be misleading. Proficiency levels identify what the incumbent knows and can do rather than how long they have been doing it. Also, note that the proficiency levels are cumulative, e.g., a level 4 proficiency implies the ability to perform all the behaviors at the lower levels.
Check each Research and Development Director skill and competencie below to view definitions.

8 hard skills or competencies (industry competencies) for Research and Development Director

1 Industry Competency – Engineering Management
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Applying management skills and engineering principles in overseeing technical projects and personnel.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Lists the types of tools and systems used to help facilitate engineering management processes.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Records the available resources to present critical information to the engineering management.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Uses engineering management platforms to monitor engineering operations and deliverable programs.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Leverages data science techniques to make evidence-based decisions for engineering projects.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Develops engineering management platforms for sound and effective decision-making.
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2 Industry Competency – Cost Estimation
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Forecasting costs and resources to complete a project within a defined scope.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the basic processes and methods of estimating project cost.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Identifies the characteristics of credible cost estimates, including data availability and recognition of inflation.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Provides insights on the pros and cons of various cost estimation approaches.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Provides accurate estimations of benefit savings, project costs, and technical feasibility.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Establishes overall impact cost models to provide real-time cost estimations.
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3 Research and Development Director - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Research and Development Director
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Research and Development Director
Proficiency Level - 5

1 general skill or competency (Job family competency) for Research and Development Director

1 Job Family Competencies – Programming
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Executing logic to facilitate computing operations and functionality in one or more languages.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains how to interpret source code from a specific programming language.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Identifies coding errors and parts of computer programs that are not functioning correctly.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Provides insights into the development of complex, cross-functional applications.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Monitors the testing of program codes periodically to ensure it produces the desirable results.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Establishes programming strategies applicable to various program needs and specifications.
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3 Research and Development Director - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Research and Development Director
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Research and Development Director
Proficiency Level - 5

14 soft skills or competencies (core competencies) for Research and Development Director

1 Core Competencies – Business Acumen
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Insight into our organization's business, goals, and values. Ability to design and implement initiatives that facilitate successful outcomes.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains our key business strategies and priorities.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Reports and communicates market and competitor status regularly to the management team.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Evaluates supply chain efficiency with an eye toward improving shortcomings.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Optimizes business processes based on deep insight into various business unit functions.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Designs and implements feedback loops to identify and promptly address business problems.
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2 Core Competencies – Budgeting
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Applying specific policies, tools and practices to plan and prepare projected revenues, expenses, cash flows, and capital expenditures.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of budget reporting and forecasting in our workplace.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Produces budget reports showing planned vs. actual variances highlighted and explained.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Reviews and helps approve major budget adjustments to negotiate and reconcile line variances.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Provides in-depth training to our entire organization about the zero based budgeting methodology.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Forecasts asset needs to leverage available inventory and data compilation for annual budgeting.
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3 Research and Development Director - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Research and Development Director
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Research and Development Director
Proficiency Level - 5

Summary of Research and Development Director skills and competencies

There are 8 hard skills for Research and Development Director, Engineering Management, Cost Estimation, Engineering Change Management, etc.
1 general skills for Research and Development Director, Programming.
14 soft skills for Research and Development Director, Business Acumen, Budgeting, Planning and Organizing, etc.
While the list totals 23 distinct skills, it's important to note that not all are required to be mastered to the same degree. Some skills may only need a basic understanding, whereas others demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, as a Research and Development Director, he or she needs to be skilled in Business Acumen, be skilled in Budgeting, and be skilled in Planning and Organizing.

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