Natural Sciences Managers
Under the title Natural Sciences Managers, workers plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields. You may also need to hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff. Its interest code is IEC. Investigative leads at 5.9 out of 7, so expect research, analysis and working through hard problems, with Enterprising next at 5.6. Plan on graduate school and often five years or more of related experience; O*NET labels this extensive preparation. Strength in science, reading comprehension, and monitoring helps most here. People who want research, analysis and working through hard problems usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
Main 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.
Skills
- Science
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You like taking the lead and making the call.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on science and reading comprehension.
May not suit you if
- You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 2.4 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code IEC takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Analytical Services Manager
- Chemical Engineer Supervisor
- Chemical Process Exploration Manager
- Environmental Program Manager
- Lab Manager (Laboratory Manager)
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.