Career Transition Roadmap

Turn an adjacent career option into a practical 30/60/90-day transition plan.

From

Research and Development Managers

ANZSCO 1325

To

Policy and Planning Managers

ANZSCO 1324

Transition confidence

Moderate Pathfinder match

Use this roadmap as a structured planning aid. It combines compiled JSA/ABS-backed occupation data with Pathfinder transition scoring where available.

Current role risk for Research and Development Managers: 5.1ModerateTarget role risk for Policy and Planning Managers: 4.9Moderate

Skill match

48%

Based on Pathfinder overlap

AI-risk change

-0.2

Lower target AI exposure

Salary/wk

+$58

Median weekly earnings difference

Demand signal

Strong

No Shortage

Why this path fits

Signals that make this transition worth investigating.

  • Pathfinder found overlap in Communication and collaboration, Business operations and financial activities, and Operating procedures and processes.
  • Both occupations sit in the Business Administration Managers minor group.
  • Both roles are mapped to skill level 1.
  • Current labour-market status for the target: No Shortage.
  • The target has 20.3% projected 10-year employment growth.

Trade-offs to check

  • AI exposure improves by about 0.2 points on the 10-point risk scale.
  • The target role has a higher median weekly earnings signal.
  • The target shortage signal is no shortage.
  • The target occupation appears larger, which may create more entry points.

What transfers

Evidence you can start turning into transition-ready examples.

  • Shared work cluster: Communication and collaboration.
  • Shared work cluster: Business operations and financial activities.
  • Shared work cluster: Operating procedures and processes.
  • Shared work cluster: Data, analytics, and databases.
  • Shared work cluster: Human resources.
  • Same occupational family: Business Administration Managers.

What to build

  • Target-role capability to evidence: Developing, implementing and monitoring strategic plans, programs, policies, processes, systems and procedures to achieve goals, objectives and work standards.
  • Target-role capability to evidence: Developing, implementing, administering and participating in policy research and analysis.
  • Target-role capability to evidence: Coordinating the implementation of policies and practices.
  • Target-role capability to evidence: Establishing activity measures and measurements of accountability.

30/60/90-day action plan

Small, testable steps before you commit to a bigger career move.

First 30 days

Map your transferable evidence

Turn the overlap between these roles into a practical evidence list you can use in conversations, applications, or an internal move.

  • • Write one example for each shared cluster: Communication and collaboration, Business operations and financial activities, and Operating procedures and processes.
  • • Collect measurable outcomes, tools used, stakeholders supported, and problems solved.
  • • Read current Policy and Planning Managers job ads and highlight repeated requirements.

Days 31–60

Build the missing signals

Focus on low-risk proof points: short projects, targeted learning, shadowing, or portfolio evidence before making a major move.

  • • Choose one target task to practise first: Developing, implementing and monitoring strategic plans, programs, policies, processes, systems and procedures to achieve goals, objectives and work standards.
  • • Fill any qualification, licence, tool, or domain gaps that appear repeatedly across target-role ads.
  • • Ask someone in the target field to review your evidence list and identify the weakest claim.

Days 61–90

Test the transition in the market

Validate whether the path works before committing: run small applications, networking conversations, or internal project trials.

  • • Create a Policy and Planning Managers-oriented CV version that reframes your Research and Development Managers experience around target outcomes.
  • • Apply for a small batch of adjacent roles or internal opportunities and track response quality.
  • • If responses are weak, revisit the highest-frequency requirement you cannot yet evidence.

Next checks

Compare these rolesOpen PathfinderView Research and Development ManagersView Policy and Planning Managers

This is educational guidance based on compiled JSA/ABS-backed occupation data. Confirm training, licence, and hiring requirements with employers or providers.