Skip to main content
CareerApp

Occupation

Research Director

A Research Director sets the strategic direction for an organization's research function, overseeing research design and ensuring data analysis and statistical analysis meet rigorous standards across projects. Positioned at a senior leadership level within a company, agency, or academic institution, they combine team leadership with stakeholder management to translate research findings into decisions that guide executives and clients. This role suits experienced researchers who have moved from hands-on analysis into managing people, budgets, and organizational priorities.

Duties & responsibilities

  • Set strategic direction for research programs and technical roadmaps aligned with organizational goals
  • Build and lead research teams, mentoring scientists and research engineers through technical challenges
  • Design research studies and oversee data analysis to meet rigorous scientific standards
  • Evaluate and prioritize research experiments, allocating resources and compute efficiently
  • Translate research findings into actionable insights for executives, clients, or product teams
  • Evaluate emerging technologies and methods to advance the organization's research capabilities
  • Manage research portfolios across multiple projects or therapeutic areas to balance innovation and risk

What Research Director roles involve, from employers’ own postings.

How much does a Research Director make?

Too few Research Director postings state pay to publish a median yet: 2 of 4 open roles do, and we wait for 25.

Who is hiring for Research Director roles?

4 open Research Director roles from 4 employers.

From employers’ own postings, as of.

Research Director in the job market

Last checked October 28, 2026

Open roles
4

on Career App right now

Employers
4

hiring for it

Median pay
—

not enough disclosed

Disclose pay
—

of these roles

Open Research Director roles (4)

Head of Research, DataLab

Protege

Remote

Lead Protege's DataLab research function, defining the research agenda on AI training data challenges and building systems to evaluate dataset quality and model performance. This role suits experienced research leaders who can balance strategic thinking with hands-on technical work, manage a growing team, and translate findings into product impact.

Listed on Protege’s careers site · Apply there ↗

Director of Research, Text to Speech

Deepgram

Ann Arbor, MI · $213,000 – $328,300 · Remote

This role leads Deepgram's text-to-speech research program from strategy through production, owning the technical roadmap and building a team of researchers to advance speech-generation quality. It suits experienced speech-synthesis researchers comfortable with hands-on technical leadership, fast-moving environments, and shipping models to production at scale.

Listed on Deepgram’s careers site · Apply there ↗

Director, Athlete Intelligence - Biomechanics and Athlete Immersion

Under Armour

Full-time · Baltimore, MD

Lead Under Armour's biomechanics and athlete immersion research teams to uncover unmet athlete needs and translate scientific findings into footwear and performance innovations. This role suits experienced researchers with deep expertise in sport biomechanics, footwear design, and the ability to connect athlete insights to commercial product development.

Listed on Under Armour’s careers site · Apply there ↗

Gilead Sciences

Senior Director, Discovery Sciences & Technologies

Gilead Sciences

Full-time · United States - California - Foster City · $261,375 – $338,250

This senior leadership role oversees drug discovery assay development, high-throughput screening, and emerging technologies across Gilead's research portfolio, requiring deep expertise in protein-ligand interactions and a track record of advancing programs from initial screening to clinical candidates. The position demands both scientific excellence in managing complex discovery projects and people leadership skills to mentor senior scientists and foster innovation across therapeutic areas.

Listed on Gilead Sciences’s careers site · Apply there ↗

Roles similar to Research Director (538)

From Clinical Research Director, Director of Clinical Data Management, Marketing Director, Product Manager, Program Manager, Research Manager.

PROGRAM MANAGER/DEPUTY

Bureau of Naval Personnel

Millington, TN · $125,776 – $163,514

This federal supervisory role leads the Navy's casualty operations, advising senior leadership on military casualty affairs, survivor benefits, and POW/MIA programs while managing staff and budgets. It suits experienced program managers with deep knowledge of military personnel policies and federal benefits systems who can navigate sensitive, high-stakes casualty cases.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Program Manager (Assistant Director - TRIAD)

Veterans Benefits Administration

Full-time · Washington, DC · $147,945 – $197,200

This federal government role manages complex IT programs and education benefit systems for the Veterans Affairs department, reporting to a deputy director. It suits experienced program managers comfortable with stakeholder coordination, systems lifecycle oversight, and directing teams within a regulated environment.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

REGIONAL PROGRAM MANAGER (N92)

Commander, Navy Installations Command

Washington, DC · $143,919 – $153,498

This is a regional program manager role overseeing morale, welfare, and recreation services across seven Navy installations, handling operations, budgets, facilities, and contracting. The role suits an experienced operations leader comfortable with dual-fund financial management, capital infrastructure oversight, and supervising large distributed teams.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Program Manager

Defense Contract Management Agency

Orlando, FL · $90,479 – $138,370

This federal Program Manager role oversees contract management teams evaluating defense contractor performance on major acquisition programs, focusing on cost, schedule, and technical compliance. It suits experienced professionals in government contract management or defense acquisition who can supervise specialists and recommend corrective actions to senior leadership.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Program Manager (Deputy Garrison Commander)

United States Army Installation Management Command

Fort Lee, VA · $154,542 – $197,200

This is a deputy garrison commander role managing a large military installation's operations, administration, and multi-functional programs at Fort Lee. It suits experienced federal managers with a background in complex military or institutional operations who can direct supervisors across diverse functional areas and implement policy across the installation.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Operational Medicine Program Manager

Drug Enforcement Administration

Quantico, VA · $143,913 – $187,093

This role manages the DEA's Operational Medicine Program, overseeing training, policy development, and medical support services for approximately 400 personnel with medical duties. The position combines technical expertise in operational medicine with program administration, contract management, and hands-on delivery of medical training.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Apply for PROGRAM MANAGER at Secretary of the Navy Offices (SECNAV) on their site

PROGRAM MANAGER

Secretary of the Navy Offices (SECNAV)

Arlington, VA · $143,913 – $197,200

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Program Manager (Assistant Program Manager Acquisition)

U.S. Special Operations Command (Army)

Fort Belvoir, VA · $102,415 – $158,322

This is a federal position managing defense acquisition programs at various lifecycle stages, overseeing development, production, fielding, and major system modifications. The role suits military program professionals with direct experience leading Army system acquisition initiatives and the ability to coordinate complex technical and financial aspects across government and contractor teams.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Assistant Director for Asset Forfeiture Division

U.S. Marshals Service

Arlington, VA · $151,661 – $228,000

This role leads the federal Asset Forfeiture Division for the US Marshals Service, overseeing the seizure, management, and disposal of assets from criminal activity across the country. It suits someone with experience in federal program management, budget oversight, or asset and property administration who wants to drive efficiency in government operations.

Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗

Apply for Program Manager at LexisNexis Risk Solutions on their site

Program Manager

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Listed on LexisNexis Risk Solutions’s careers site · Apply there ↗

Turn on analytics and we load Google Analytics: Google gets the pages you open and what you do here — searches, jobs you view, jobs you apply to — and sets its own cookies. Leave it off and the only cookies we set are your login, your theme, and this answer. Accept All also records a yes to advertising, which nothing uses yet. Privacy Policy.