You're the senior executive responsible for research across an organization — overseeing scientists and the research portfolio that produces the knowledge or evidence the organization depends on. The role lives between senior scientific leadership and executive strategy.
Most days tend to involve a blend of executive leadership work, research oversight, and external relationships — leadership team meetings, methodology and program reviews, and engagement with academic, government, or industry partners. You'll often spend part of the time on strategic priorities — research direction, capability investment, partnership development — and part on active programs where senior judgment matters.
The hardest part is often balancing scientific rigor against the practical demands of the organization the research serves. You'll typically defend methodological standards that make findings durable, while delivering against the cycles that fund the work. Political dynamics around inconvenient findings are real.
People who tend to thrive here are scientifically expert, strategically minded, and politically literate. The trade-off is the long horizon of research outcomes and the chronic resource pressure that research functions face. If you find satisfaction in leading the work that produces the knowledge an organization or field actually relies on, this role offers one of the most influential seats in scientific leadership.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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.
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