Management · Holland code IER

Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers

Define, plan, or execute biofuels/biodiesel research programs that evaluate alternative feedstock and process technologies with near-term commercial potential.

Also called: Analytical Research Program Manager, Biodiesel Division Manager, Laboratory Manager (Lab Manager), Project Development Director, Biofuels Manager, Business Development and New Technology Manager.

O*NET 11-9041.01

At a glance

US median annual pay: $171,270; Middle half earn $139,360 to $212,500. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 55% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 212,500 jobs in 2024, projected 220,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Architectural and engineering managers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Design or conduct applied biodiesel or biofuels research projects on topics, such as transport, thermodynamics, mixing, filtration, distillation, fermentation, extraction, and separation.
Analyze data from biofuels studies, such as fluid dynamics, water treatments, or solvent extraction and recovery processes.
Prepare, or oversee the preparation of, experimental plans for biofuels research or development.
Provide technical or scientific guidance to technical staff in the conduct of biofuels research or development.
Propose new biofuels products, processes, technologies or applications based on findings from applied biofuels or biomass research projects.
Conduct experiments on biomass or pretreatment technologies.
Prepare biofuels research and development reports for senior management or technical professionals.
Develop lab scale models of industrial scale processes, such as fermentation.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
Writing3.6 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
Active Listening3.5 / 5
Active Learning3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.1 / 5
Chemistry4.0 / 5
Engineering and Technology3.9 / 5
Mathematics3.6 / 5
Production and Processing3.4 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic53
Investigative81
Artistic18
Social18
Enterprising62
Conventional42

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

product development manager · DE Produktentwicklungsmanager/Produktentwicklungsmanagerin · FR directeur de développement de produits/directrice de développement de produits
biochemical engineer · DE Ingenieur Biochemietechnik/Ingenieurin Biochemietechnik · FR ingénieur biochimiste en industrie/ingénieure biochimiste en industrie

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Research and development (R&D) managers (2161)86,200 employed
Production and process engineers (2125)56,900 employed
Engineering professionals n.e.c. (2129)124,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Managers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Managers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€96,629
Italy	€96,052
Germany	€90,192
Austria	€82,936
Netherlands	€69,857
Sweden	€60,369
France	€58,740
Ireland	€55,854
Spain	€54,121
Portugal	€39,189
Poland	€19,596

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.84. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (11-9041).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test