Skills
Natural Sciences Manager Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in natural sciences managers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do natural sciences managers need?
Natural Sciences Managers need technical skills such as scientific expertise, research planning, and budgeting, plus people skills like leadership and communication. They also use tools such as LIMS and ELN.
Technical (hard) skills
- Scientific expertise
- Research planning
- Budgeting
- Lab safety
- Quality systems
- Regulatory compliance
People (soft) skills
- Leadership
- Communication
- Strategic thinking
- Mentoring
Tools, equipment and technology
- LIMS
- ELN
- Budget software
- Statistical software
- Project management tools
- Lab equipment
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how natural sciences managers put their skills to work:
- How to prioritize a lab’s research portfolio
- How to prepare a lab for an audit
- How to lead a lab safety culture
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Scientific expertise” and “Research planning.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “leadership,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Ph.D. near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our natural sciences manager glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Natural Sciences Manager training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.