What do you do if you want to move from a technical role to a management role in Product R&D?

To move from a technical role to management in product R&D, it is very helpful to gain relevant knowledge and skills. Specifically, some of the subjects that I have personally benefited from are: 1. Strategic management of technology and innovation. It's important to have not only technical thinking, but also business and strategic thinking. 2. Project management. It'll be even better if you can pass the PMP exam. 3. Leadership skills. Learning how to work with other people to achieve project and business goals is more important than getting things done by yourself.

An initial step to move you in this direction could be to lead a project team. This will provide you with valuable insights on your leadership style, strengths and areas for improvement. It will also enable you to learn how to drive a diverse team towards common objectives and problem solve. All key aspects when moving into management.

As an engineer in the med device industry, three areas of focus that help in the transition are: 1. Developing customer relationship skills and fostering those relationships. As a manager, the focus needs to be less on solving the technical problem and more on working with the customer/sales/marketing to make sure the right problem is being solved for the user. 2. Reach out and network with the other departments at the company and build relationships. 3. Build relationships with each individual team member to build trust, which will help when it’s time for the tough or constructive feedback discussions. There is a theme here of building relationships.

Transitioning from a technical role to a management role in Product R&D requires a combination of strategic planning, skill development, and networking. Here are steps you can take to facilitate this career transition: Assess Your Skills and Goals Seek Feedbac Gain Management Experience Pursue Formal Education or Training Build a Professional Network Express Your Interest Seek Mentorship and Guidance Be Proactive and Flexible Demonstrate Leadership Qualities Prepare for Interviews and Assessments By following these steps and actively working towards developing the necessary skills and experiences, you can increase your chances of successfully transitioning from a technical role to a management role in Product R&D.

Get involved with project management. It gives you the opportunity to oversee an entire product development project and understand how all the pieces fit together. Being able to manage a cross-functional group will help you understand the leadership and communication skills it takes to manage and resource an R&D group.

Interviewing people already in positions that you aspire to can be very helpful, even if the managers are in different departments. Asking them questions will really help make the leap to leadership. And there may be some helpful nuggets that you learn along the way. One very helpful piece of advice was to identify weaker areas and find opportunities to get out of your comfort zone and broaden your strengths.

This step emphasizes the value of seeking feedback and mentorship from those who have successfully transitioned from a technical to a management role in product R&D. Leveraging insights and advice from current or former managers, peers, and mentors offers valuable guidance on preparing for and succeeding in a managerial position. Additionally, opportunities to shadow or collaborate with experienced managers provide firsthand exposure to managerial practices and challenges. Feedback and mentorship offer a realistic and practical perspective on the management role, enabling individuals to learn from the experiences and mistakes of others.

This step underscores the importance of developing soft skills and business acumen essential for success in a management role in product R&D. Effective communication, conflict resolution, delegation, coaching, and stakeholder management are critical skills managers must possess. Additionally, understanding business goals, strategy, and project context is vital for informed decision-making and alignment with organizational objectives. Individuals can enhance these skills and knowledge through various avenues, including courses, books, workshops, and participation in professional communities.

Management is a mix between theory and craft. You will get the craft as you play the role, but for the theory you need to read a lot as soon as you transition to management.

As a leader or manager of a team, you are still part of the team. And the better your team looks and performs, the better you look. When helping the team, instead of focusing on what you do best (e.g.technically) you should focus on where the team needs the most help even if it is not your strongest area.

In the R&D world, nothing proves out burgeoning designs like quick prototypes, and the same is true for organizational leadership. The instance not specifically mentioned by the starter paragraph is “the intern” since typically [s]he will be assigned to a non-managerial mentor, yet this voluntary leadership contribution subconsciously appears as a stepping stone and permits the mentor to practice appropriate communication, delegation and oversight. I know, I know … depending on the neophyte you’re (likely) assigned, this can backfire (e.g., productivity drain, sub-mediocre results), but that, too, can be part of being a manager: finding a way to salvage Shinola from … well … you know. In the end, you hone and showcase your mad skills.

So much to try and unpack here. Many fail when moved from a contributor to leadership role. Suggest you identify a leader you respect in your company with a similar role (if possible) and ask if that person is willing to help provide some guidance/mentorship support and shadow that person as much as possible. Courses on management styles, resolution of conflict, and leadership would also help.

This step emphasizes the importance of actively demonstrating leadership potential to transition successfully from a technical to a management role in product R&D. Taking initiative, volunteering for challenging projects, proposing innovative solutions, and mentoring junior developers showcase leadership qualities. Additionally, supporting managers in meetings or events and communicating achievements and contributions to peers and senior leaders highlight readiness for a management role.

In my experience the usual move is to Program Management, position that allows to expand the view over all company functions and, most of all, their needs to work efficiently and effectively. I have to say most of the time good engineers were not good leaders, though; to become a good people manager requires seniority, humanity and above all humility.

The final step in transitioning from a technical role to a management role in product R&D involves actively pursuing management opportunities. This can be done by seeking internal or external openings for product R&D managers and tailoring application materials to showcase relevant skills and experiences. Preparation for interviews includes researching the company, product, and role, as well as practicing responses to common or behavioral questions.

Have a difficult and honest conversation with yourself about your motivations for seeking a managerial position. You may find that there are many other ways to satisfy those motivations other than to alter your career path from a technical track to a management track. LinkedIn is rife with meme postings and re-hashes of aphorisms about what is expected of good leaders, mostly via postings of examples of poor leadership. That should be a clue for you. Are you ready to grow as a leader or do you really want to be a manager? To get you started, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Putt’s Law and reading it cover to cover.

You should prepare your Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate, technical skills are not enough for being a good manager.

To summarize and add to the excellent insight provided by others: 1. the ability to think wide across all areas of R&D you are responsible for, especially as pertains to their application to real products now and into the future, requires developing foresight and intuition. 2. the ability to efficiently deep-dive into any one of those broad topics, both as a means to guide your team, as also to ensure you have the best people in the best spots. 3. the ability to be each team member's champion and help them produce their best output and get acknowledged for it. 4. the respect of your sharpest team members, because they know you can effectively dig deep into their area of expertise, and that you will use that skill to help them succeed.

When we move to Manager role, understanding technical is not sufficient, you have to understand the business as well, so in my point of view, while keeping technical knowledge in order to know the content of work and coach your team, you have to build the business capability, like customer-centric mindset, visionary, strategic thinking and operation, … with this business capability, you will be able to guide you team in the direction that will always make the business impact for your organization in any circumstances.