Research and Development Staff

Are you looking for the right research and development staff? What qualities does a person need to be able to get a spot in your research and development team? Let us know below.

Research and Development Staff

The research and development team or R&D team is responsible for creating new products and services for the company. The team is made up of research scientists and development engineers who work together to create new products through research and development activities. 

Then, research and development activities are undertaken to discover new knowledge and develop prototypes of products or processes. The R&D staff has a wide range of tasks, including:

• Designing, making, testing, and improving new or existing products;
• Developing new manufacturing processes;
• Trying out new ideas related to product design or manufacturing process to further improve the company’s products;
• Monitoring the progress of product development;
• Creating marketing information related to the company’s product line;
• Using computer programs to simulate product performance;
• Creating a variety of reports;
• Working with other departments in the company to develop new products.

Then, the department has two sub-departments: the R&D division and the R&D support division. The R&D division is responsible for designing new products for the company. Then, the R&D support division is responsible for providing support for all other departments in the company. 

This division handles administrative duties including:

• budgeting, 
• procurement, 
• record-keeping, 
• employee training, 
• maintaining laboratory equipment, etc. 

Some companies have a separate department for research activities that works closely with the R&D team. This department has several specialized units within it including the quality control unit, intellectual property unit, and more. 

Unlike other departments in a company that has employees from various disciplines, most of the employees in R&D are from scientific backgrounds. What are some of the other things you need to look for in staff?

What to Look for in a Research and Development Staff?

When looking for an R&D staff, the first thing you need to consider is the candidate’s background. He or she needs to have good knowledge of science and engineering. You also need to look at the individual’s ability to work independently or within a team. Then, the research engineer should also be able to work on a broad range of tasks from designing new products to improving existing products. 

Other qualities you need to look for in an R&D staff include

• Being a good communicator. The R&D staff should be good at communicating with other people inside and outside of the company;
• Being a good problem solver. The person is not only capable of solving scientific problems, but he or she can also solve business problems;
• Knowing many fields. An R&D staff should also know various fields including scientific, technical, engineering, and other business-related fields; 
• Having leadership qualities. The person should have leadership qualities that will help him or her manage the team while working on new products.

Conclusion

So, if you are looking for the right research and development staff, you should consider some of the qualities mentioned above.