Research Leadership & Research Management Recruiters

By the Axe Talent team · Published September 29, 2026 · Updated September 29, 2026 · Singapore · EA Licence 23S2064

If you are a university trying to hire a head of research strategy, a research performance lead, or a director for your research management office, this page is for you. These roles sit in their own category, apart from professor chairs and from general executive search, and most agencies do not run them. Axe Talent does, from Singapore across APAC and worldwide. Since 2021 we have placed over 300 candidates across 18 countries.

What a research leadership role is

A university sets a ten-year research ambition and then needs one person to make it real. That person turns the strategy into workstreams with owners, milestones and measures. They run or oversee the research management office that supports grant applications end to end. And they own research intelligence: the bibliometrics, benchmarking and dashboards behind investment, recruitment and rankings decisions for exercises like QS and MyRA. Titles vary: Head of Research Strategy and Performance, Director of Research Management, Research Performance Manager, Head of Research Office. Most report to a Pro Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research. Almost all are senior professional appointments where an earned doctorate helps, though extensive research-administration experience counts just as much.

Why it is its own search discipline

A professor is judged on their own publications, grants and PhD completions. A research leader is judged on the systems and numbers they move for everyone else: growth in competitive grant income, the turnaround time of the research office, ranking sub-scores, the number of funded flagship research centres, and a record of leading change across faculties through influence rather than direct authority. So the screen is different. You are looking for evidence that a candidate restructured an office, redesigned a service, or moved an institution's research numbers, and can show it. An agency that recruits these leaders has to speak both languages: the academic one, so candidates trust it, and the operational one, so the shortlist can actually run a research office.

What we look for

• A track record of leading change in a research or professional office: restructuring a team, redesigning a service, or moving its performance numbers.
• Command of research intelligence: bibliometrics, benchmarking, and performance reporting against frameworks like QS and MyRA.
• Understanding of competitive research funding, doctoral education, research centres and partnerships, from the inside.
• Credibility with senior academics and the ability to work with both researchers and industry.
• Research experience of their own, or a deep, hands-on understanding of research administration. A doctorate is welcome, though not required.

Where we run these searches

Axe Talent is based in Singapore and runs research leadership searches across APAC, including Malaysia, and worldwide. On-site university roles come with full relocation handling for international candidates, and we put visa and notice-period timelines on the table in week one, because they decide more of these searches than the shortlist does. We recruit the same profiles into industry research offices and R&D leadership when the mandate calls for it.

How an engagement works

It starts with a 20-minute calibration call: the research ambition behind the role, the level, the budget, the location, and any visa constraints. You get a shortlist of leaders who clear the bar and will take a conversation, each with a verified profile and named sources on every metric. We prepare candidates for your panels and stay in the process through offer, notice period and relocation. The commercial model is retained search: one brief, one bar, one shortlist built to it. Natalia Rostova leads every search personally.

The tooling is our own. Its public piece is Axe Builder, our resume builder for researchers: it pulls publications, citations and journal rankings through ORCID and formats a record the way university HR screens it.

Frequently asked questions

Who recruits heads of research and research management leaders?

Retained search firms that specialise in higher education. Axe Talent runs these searches from Singapore across APAC and worldwide, on the same verified-profile discipline it uses for professor searches.

What is a Head of Research Strategy and Performance?

A senior professional leader who turns a university's research strategy into workstreams with owners and measures, runs or oversees the research management office, and owns research intelligence: bibliometrics, benchmarking and reporting for QS and MyRA. It usually reports to a Pro Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research. A doctorate helps but is not required.

How is recruiting a research leader different from a professor search?

A professor is judged on their own research record; a research leader is judged on the systems and numbers they move: grant income, research office turnaround, ranking sub-scores, and a track record of leading change across faculties. The screen is for management and analytics evidence, rather than publications alone.

Do you run research leadership searches in APAC and Malaysia?

Yes. We are based in Singapore and run retained research leadership searches across APAC, including Malaysia, with full relocation handling for international candidates.

How long does a research leadership search take?

Three to six months from brief to accepted offer is typical, with notice periods and, for international hires, employment pass timelines added on top.

How much does it cost?

Retained search, priced as a percentage of first-year salary and split across milestones. The exact figure depends on market and level, and you will have it in writing after the calibration call.

Start a search

Write to Natalia Rostova, Axe Talent Founder & Executive Headhunter with the role, or book 20 minutes on Natalia's Calendar. You leave the call with a straight read on whether the search is realistic at your budget.