Research manager to research engineer
A research manager already meets 18% of what the research engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.3/ 100
1 How much of what a research engineer is expected to do is already part of a research manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the research engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A research engineer role treats 3 of its required skills as things a research manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- perform scientific research
- project management
- scientific research methodology
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A research engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a research manager background worth leading with.
- already held laboratory techniques natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held physics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held project management business, administration and law
- already held scientific research methodology education
- already held perform scientific research information skills
- already held perform project management management skills
All 6 carried skills, including the 3 the research engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn engineering processes required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn industrial research and development required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held battery design optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
- optional, not held materials engineering optional
- still to learn interpret technical requirements required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn gather experimental data required
- optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
- optional, not held use mathematical tools and equipment optional
- still to learn define technical requirements required
- still to learn manage engineering project required
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- still to learn collect samples for analysis required
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held write manuals optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a research engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 engineering processes study this
- 02 interpret technical requirements practise this
- 03 collect samples for analysis practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held laboratory techniques knowledge
- already held perform project management skill
- already held physics knowledge
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- optional, not held run laboratory simulations optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- optional, not held apply safety procedures in laboratory optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply safety procedures in laboratory optional
- optional, not held battery design optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
- optional, not held materials engineering optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- optional, not held run laboratory simulations optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use mathematical tools and equipment optional
- optional, not held write manuals optional
28 held skills the research engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role computational chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct qualitative research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quantitative research skill
- not needed by the target role cope with challenging demands skill
- not needed by the target role direct an artistic team skill
- not needed by the target role discuss research proposals skill
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role image recognition knowledge
- not needed by the target role interact with an audience skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with cultural partners skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage research and development projects skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role multidisciplinary research knowledge
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide project information on exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
- not needed by the target role research design knowledge
- not needed by the target role respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role study a collection skill
- not needed by the target role study topics skill
- not needed by the target role urban sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role use ICT resources to solve work related tasks skill
- not needed by the target role work independently on exhibitions skill
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn engineering processes required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn industrial research and development required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held battery design optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
- optional, not held materials engineering optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
Common questions about this move
Can a research manager become a research engineer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A research manager already covers 18% of what a research engineer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 3 of which the research engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a research manager need to become a research engineer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is engineering processes.
How hard is the move from research manager to research engineer?
Its learning distance is 76.3 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.