Research and development managers usually work for government organisations, research institutes, universities, hospitals, manufacturing firms, not-for-profit organisations, and private sector organisations providing consultancy services. In Western Australia, most research and development manager roles are based in the Perth metropolitan area.

Research and development managers usually work indoors within an office environment. Hours are usually regular, although they may be longer when working to meet deadlines.

Research and development managers will perform many of their tasks on a computer. They will need to be familiar with project management software, and work processing and presentation software to prepare reports, human research ethics applications and presentations. Research and development managers generally also need to be familiar with data management and statistical software, such as Excel and SPSS.