Natural Sciences Managers

What the job really is

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.

At a glance

• Sector: Management
• O*NET-SOC code: 11-9121
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, ESRI ArcGIS software, IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Visio

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Bioinformatics Technicians
• Project Management Specialists
• Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
• Data Scientists
• Biological Technicians
• Molecular and Cellular Biologists
• Biologists
• Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Natural Sciences Managers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.