The leader who owns research development — typically in a university or research institution — supporting faculty in pursuing grants, partnerships, and the strategic positioning that builds research capacity. Half academic operator, half external relationship builder.
Related occupations pay a median of $161K, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 4% through 2034.
Most days tend to involve a blend of faculty support, external partner conversations, and strategic planning — meetings with researchers planning grants, partnership conversations with funders or industry, and proposal development support for major opportunities. You'll often spend part of the time on the operational fabric — seed funding, training programs, and metrics.
The hardest part is often operating in a function where success depends on faculty whose primary identity isn't administrative. You'll typically defend research support investment while still hitting external metrics that justify it, and you'll navigate the political dynamics of research funding distribution.
People who tend to thrive here are academically credible, operationally fluent, and skilled at relationship building across faculty, funders, and partners. The trade-off is the indirect nature of research development impact and the long horizons that grant and partnership work runs on. If you find satisfaction in building the conditions under which research grows, this role can be quietly powerful in academic settings.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The leader who owns research development — typically in a university or research institution — supporting faculty in pursuing grants, partnerships, and the strategic positioning that builds research capacity. Half academic operator, half external relationship builder.
Median pay for a Research Development Director is about $161K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $80K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Science, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.7% through 2034, with roughly 100,870 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include vp of business development (vice president of business development), Laboratory Services Administrative Director (Lab Services Administrative Director), and Water Team Leader.
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