Occupation · SOC 11-9121
Natural Sciences Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
Median wage
$161,180
$79,830–—
Projected growth
+3.7%
Average growth
Annual openings
390
per year
Employed (US)
100,870
Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
5,903 mapped
Core skills
ScienceCritical ThinkingMonitoringReading ComprehensionActive ListeningComplex Problem SolvingWritingSpeaking
Knowledge areas
BiologyEnglish LanguageAdministration and ManagementComputers and ElectronicsAdministrative
Technology & tools
Document management softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareData base user interface and query softwareGeographic information systemSpreadsheet software
Representative tasks
Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.Plan or direct research, development, or production activities.Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports.Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance.Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status.Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals.Prepare project proposals.Develop or implement policies, standards, or procedures for the architectural, scientific, or technical work performed to ensure regulatory compliance or operations enhancement.Recruit personnel or oversee the development or maintenance of staff competence.Prepare and administer budgets, approve and review expenditures, and prepare financial reports.Conduct own research in field of expertise.Develop innovative technology or train staff for its implementation.Make presentations at professional meetings to further knowledge in the field.Provide for stewardship of plant or animal resources or habitats, studying land use, monitoring animal populations, or providing shelter, resources, or medical treatment for animals.Advise or assist in obtaining patents or meeting other legal requirements.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Research project proposals — draft initial sections under senior manager guidance within a natural sciences laboratory or regulatory environment.Scientific and technical reports — read and summarize findings under supervision to support review cycles in an R&D organization.Problem analysis phases — assist in mapping successive steps of a structured investigation under direction from a principal scientist.Research staff activities — monitor day-to-day task progress and report status updates to a supervising natural sciences manager.Regulatory and technical literature — apply reading comprehension skills to extract compliance requirements relevant to an assigned research project.Spreadsheet and office suite software — organize project data and prepare formatted tables to support team reporting in a science-based organization.Scientific meetings and conferences — participate actively by listening, taking notes, and relaying key decisions to the project team.Client-facing project documentation — contribute assigned sections of status reports under the direction of an experienced project manager.Research personnel scheduling — coordinate basic logistics for small technical teams following established protocols in a multi-disciplinary laboratory setting.Analytical or scientific software — enter and verify data sets under supervision to support ongoing experimental or modeling activities.
developing
Research and development activities — plan and coordinate defined project phases with reduced oversight in a government, academic, or industry laboratory.Technical staff performance — supervise engineers and technicians routinely, providing structured feedback aligned with project milestones in an applied science setting.Problem analysis frameworks — design logical sequences of investigation steps for familiar problem categories encountered in ongoing natural sciences programs.Project activity reports — prepare and review testing or operational summaries for submission to senior leadership or external stakeholders.Interdisciplinary project teams — confer with scientists, engineers, and regulators to align on scope and technical requirements for mid-scale research initiatives.Client relationships — communicate project status and preliminary findings to clients in clear, accessible language during scheduled progress reviews.Scientific or technical goals — translate broad management directives into detailed work plans with defined deliverables and timelines for a research unit.Geographic information systems and database tools — query and analyze spatial or experimental data sets to support evidence-based project decisions.Proposal development — prepare complete project proposals including scope, methodology, budget justification, and risk considerations for submission to funding bodies.Personnel resource allocation — match researcher skill sets to project tasks, adjusting assignments as project conditions evolve within a laboratory division.
proficient
Full research program lifecycles — plan, direct, and evaluate all phases from problem definition through publication or product delivery across complex, multi-year natural sciences initiatives.Senior scientific and engineering staff — hire, mentor, and evaluate researchers and technicians autonomously, cultivating high-performing interdisciplinary teams in a large R&D organization.Non-routine technical challenges — apply inductive and deductive reasoning to diagnose and resolve novel scientific or operational problems without precedent in the organization's experience.Strategic research objectives — define specific scientific and technical goals within executive-level outlines, constructing detailed implementation plans that integrate regulatory, budgetary, and scientific constraints.Cross-sector stakeholder communication — confer with regulators, industry partners, and academic collaborators to negotiate project parameters and provide authoritative technical assistance.Client engagement and specification setting — lead discussions with clients to present complex research findings, establish technical specifications, and refine project scope based on emerging data.Multi-method analytical workflows — design and oversee the application of analytical or scientific software, GIS platforms, and development environments to address integrated research questions.Institutional research reporting — review, synthesize, and approve comprehensive operational and testing reports that meet internal quality standards and external regulatory requirements.Critical evaluation of scientific literature — systematically assess peer-reviewed findings to inform program direction and ensure methodological rigor across all active projects.Organizational learning strategies — design knowledge-transfer mechanisms and professional development pathways that build scientific capacity across a research division.
advanced
Organizational research vision — set long-range scientific and technical direction for an entire natural sciences enterprise, aligning program priorities with institutional mission and societal impact.Executive-level personnel strategy — lead workforce planning, succession development, and performance culture initiatives that shape the talent pipeline across a national or global science organization.Complex problem-solving governance — establish frameworks for analyzing and resolving the most ambiguous, high-stakes scientific challenges, drawing on cross-disciplinary expertise at the executive level.Enterprise stakeholder influence — persuade and align executives, regulators, funders, and policy makers around ambitious research agendas through authoritative scientific communication and strategic advocacy.Major proposal and grant leadership — champion and oversee the development of transformative funding proposals, negotiating scope and resources with government agencies, foundations, and private sector partners.Scientific innovation culture — model and institutionalize intellectual curiosity and innovation norms that accelerate breakthrough discovery across research divisions and partner organizations.Client and partner ecosystems — cultivate enduring strategic relationships with high-value clients and collaborators, positioning the organization as the preferred partner for complex natural sciences engagements.Cross-functional program integration — direct the coordination of research, regulatory, engineering, and operations functions to deliver enterprise-scale scientific programs on time and within compliance boundaries.Organizational knowledge infrastructure — architect document management, data governance, and reporting systems that enable evidence-based decision making at every level of a science-intensive institution.Field-wide thought leadership — represent the organization's scientific standing through keynotes, publications, and advisory roles that influence standards, policy, and practice across the natural sciences sector.
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