Career Overlap Occupation record
RecordJob

Where a product development manager can go next

5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a product development manager already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.

Product development managers coordinate the development of new products from beginning to end. They receive briefings and start envisioning the new product considering design, technical and cost criteria. They conduct research on market needs and create prototypes of new products for untapped market opportunities. Product development managers also improve and boost technological quality.

Also known as research and development manager, product designer, product development specialist, innovation department manager, product development executive.

Managers 56 skills on file 5 career moves 2 above 60% overlap Closest: metallurgical manager, 77%

Fig. 2 · Career map 5 nearest · ESCO v1.2.1
metallurgical manager 77% covered foundry manager 69% covered product manager 51% covered banking products manager 28% covered metal production manager 24% covered product development manag… You are here
  • 70% and above · short step
  • 50 to 70% · real move
  • Below 50% · substantial retraining
The 5 nearest destinations from product development manager, each one a link to that move’s record. Distance from the centre is how much retraining the move takes; the figure on each is how much of that role a product development manager already covers. All 5 are listed in the tables below.
Table 1

Table 1 · Within reach

Table 2

Table 2 · A bigger jump

Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.

Table 3

Table 3 · What the job itself asks for

A product development manager needs 19 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.

Required skill Area
  • combine business technology with user experience information skills
  • design customer experiences communication, collaboration and creativity
  • develop new products communication, collaboration and creativity
  • product life-cycle business, administration and law
  • analyse data about clients management skills
  • draw conclusions from market research results information skills
  • plan product management management skills
  • calculate production costs information skills
  • design management business, administration and law
  • calculate design costs information skills
Table 4

Table 4 · Jobs that lead here

The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a product development manager does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.

Index

Look up another occupation

Product development manager is filed under Managers, ISCO major group 1. The full index lists all ten groups.

Note

How these figures were compiled

Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a product development manager’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.