Ryan Bailey Howard is a fictional character in the American television series The Office. He is portrayed by B. J. Novak. Novak also served as a writer, director, and executive producer for the show. He is based on the character Ricky Howard from the original British version of The Office, as well as Neil Godwin during the fourth season. He is one of the main characters in seasons 1-8 and is a guest character in season 9. The name is a tribute to the Philadelphia Phillies' starting first baseman during the series' first run, who played for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons in 2004.

Little is shown in the show about the character's early life, but it is revealed in a deleted scene from "Diversity Day" that he grew up in Scranton. In the web episode "The Story of Subtle Sexuality," Ryan mentions that his parents live in separate houses. At the beginning of the series, Ryan Howard is a temporary employee at the Scranton branch of the fictitious paper distributor, Dunder Mifflin, who joined the staff in the first episode, earning him the nickname "The Temp."

In early episodes, he is shown to be uncomfortable with his professional relationship with his boss, Michael Scott. Michael often forces Ryan to carry out menial tasks for him, while at the same time becoming obsessed with Ryan's personal life and trying to gain Ryan's friendship. As the series progresses, Ryan begins to display a great deal of contempt and disdain for both his coworkers and his job. This becomes more apparent when Ryan is promoted in "The Job" to work at Dunder Mifflin's corporate office in New York. In the Season 4 finale, "Goodbye, Toby," Ryan is arrested for committing fraud. He is eventually released and sentenced to work community service.

In the Season 5 premiere, Ryan returns to the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin after Michael arranges for him to replace their previous receptionist, Pam Beesly. His aspirations to climb back to the top of the corporate ladder are revealed when he adds coworkers Jim Halpert and Kevin Malone to a list of people who "will be sorry" when he returns to the top. In a deleted scene, he would add Dunder Mifflin CFO David Wallace to that list after Wallace called and became irate upon learning of Ryan's return to the Scranton branch, causing Ryan to cry.

Ryan was a member of a fraternity in college and holds an MBA from the University of Scranton's Kania School of Management, which he earned during the second and third seasons. His dream is to one day own his own business.

Throughout the series, Ryan changes his persona every year, beginning with the third season. When offered a job for corporate in the season 3 finale, Ryan relocates to New York City and adopts a cocky nouveau riche persona by becoming extroverted, growing a beard, wearing expensive suits, and getting $200 haircuts. He is seen getting inebriated with drugs and alcohol while partying. His downfall culminates in falsifying Dunder Mifflin's financial results via his website's sales numbers, effectively committing fraud, as Oscar Martinez later claims.

In Season 5, he returns with blonde highlights and a "work hard, play hard" attitude. He works for Michael at the Michael Scott Paper Company and still tries to keep his work ethic and aspires to do good.

From Seasons 6–8, Ryan seems to be devoid of many of his former morals and ambitions. He does not care to work, reads poetry, and initiates various creative projects. He switches clothing, trying fanciful scarves, fake glasses, suspenders, bow ties, trench coats, etc., and tries to create an "unsolvable attitude". He stays at Dunder Mifflin, but his position is unspecified; Michael mentions that he works there full-time in the episode "WUPHF.com." Many of the staff, most notably Jim and Pam, note Ryan's ineptitude as an employee and that he sponges off his parents by living with them and driving his mom's car.