Tidal Grow Agriscience Director of Research & Development

Job Description

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Director of Research and Development, TGA  

REPORTS TO: Chief Product Officer

STATUS: Full time, Exempt

LOCATION: May need to relocate to Bellingham Washington

SALARY RANGE: $225,000/year based on experience & qualifications

BONUS ELIGIBILITY: Performance-based annual incentive

BENEFITS: Medical, dental, and vision insurance, optional FSA/HSA, 401k with 6% employer match, life and AD&D insurance, Employee Assistance Program, short & long term disability, tuition reimbursement, 21.67 days of paid time off + 10 holidays

About Tidal Vision:

We believe that sustainability should not require customers to compromise on price, convenience, or performance. Our mission is to create positive & systemic impact for the critical industries that sustain life. We value innovation and take pride in challenging the status-quo; we choose to view obstacles as opportunities. We value new ideas and encourage the team to apply creativity and invent new solutions to meet challenging demands. We foster open, direct communication, and a collaborative working environment through our unique approach to work culture. We value our employees and demonstrate that through our compensation and benefits programs and opportunities for growth and development.

About Tidal Grow AgriScience:

Tidal Grow AgriScience develops next-generation agricultural technologies designed to improve crop performance, nutrient efficiency, and grower profitability. By translating advanced chitosan science into practical, scalable products, we create innovative agricultural solutions that integrate seamlessly into modern farming operations to deliver higher yields with more efficient inputs.

About Tidal Vision’s Unique Work Culture:

Tidal Vision strives to build and invest in the highest performing and most innovative team. We put our people and customers above process, avoid company-wide rules as much as possible, and have the courage to take unusual approaches to advance our mission. With this approach, we believe we can create a more flexible, fun, stimulating, creative, collaborative, and innovative organization.

Our commitment to developing, practicing and promoting direct and open communication, responsibility and freedom, and leading with and seeking context is a responsibility for every role at Tidal Vision.

JOB SUMMARY :           

The Director of Research & Development is responsible for leading Tidal Grow AgriScience’s scientific and technical development efforts, with a primary focus on chitosan-enabled
agricultural technologies. This role combines hands-on scientific leadership with R&D management and requires an active presence in the laboratory while building, developing, and leading a high-performing R&D organization.

Approximately 50% of the role will focus on direct technical contributions, including experimental design, formulation development, data analysis and review, troubleshooting, technical problem-solving, and technology development. The remaining 50% will focus on R&D leadership, including team development, project prioritization, budgeting, resource allocation, external partnerships, and cross-functional collaboration.

The Director will serve as TGA’s senior technical authority in chitosan polymer science, providing scientific leadership and oversight throughout the product lifecycle. This position will partner closely with Product Management, Regulatory, Operations, Commercial, and Technical Services to support technologies from early concept evaluation and development through commercialization, scale-up, and ongoing product improvement.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS :

• Lead and develop TGA's R&D organization, scientific strategy, project portfolio, and technical development activities.
• Serve as the business unit's principal technical expert in chitosan and chitin-derived polymers, including polymer modification, formulation, delivery systems, and agricultural applications.
• Maintain an active hands-on role in laboratory research, formulation development, experimental design, data interpretation, troubleshooting, and technical problem solving.
• Provide technical oversight throughout the product lifecycle, supporting Product Management from concept evaluation through product launch, commercialization, and next-generation improvements.
• Establish and maintain high standards for scientific rigor, experimental design, data integrity, statistical analysis, documentation, and reproducibility.
• Lead development and validation of commercially viable products with focus on efficacy, manufacturability, stability, shelf life, freeze-thaw resilience, raw material variability, and quality control.
• Apply a strong understanding of commercial agricultural practices, including fertilizer systems, crop protection products, tank-mix compatibility, water quality effects, application equipment, storage conditions, transportation requirements, and grower use patterns.
• Partner with Operations to ensure successful technology transfer from laboratory to pilot and commercial manufacturing.
• Collaborate closely with Product Management, Regulatory, Operations, Commercial, and Technical Services to ensure scientific efforts align with business objectives and market needs.
• Mentor, recruit, and develop scientists and technical staff while fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support intellectual property generation, scientific publications, external research collaborations, and technical due diligence activities.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• D. in Polymer Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Agricultural Chemistry, Materials Science, or related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive R&D experience in agricultural chemistry, fertilizers, crop nutrition, crop protection, biostimulants, or related agricultural input industries.
• Recognized expertise in chitosan polymer science, supported by meaningful technical achievements, patents, publications, commercial products, or equivalent industry contributions.
• Demonstrated success developing agricultural products from early-stage research through formulation optimization, scale-up, commercialization support, and post-launch improvement.
• Deep understanding of formulation science, polymer chemistry, analytical methods, stability testing, and agricultural product development.
• Strong familiarity with downstream commercial agricultural practices, including storage and handling requirements, tank-mix compatibility, application technologies, water quality variability, product stewardship, and distribution considerations.
• Proven experience leading scientific teams while remaining actively involved in technical execution and laboratory-based innovation.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical business recommendations.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience developing chitosan, biopolymer, biological, crop nutrition, or other agricultural input technologies from concept through commercial deployment.
• Proven ability to scale technologies from bench-top research to commercial production while maintaining performance, product quality, manufacturability, and cost targets.
• Strong data analytics mindset with experience applying statistical tools, experimental design, predictive modeling, and quantitative decision-making to product development.
• Demonstrated success operating in entrepreneurial environments where adaptability, resourcefulness, cross-functional collaboration, and hands-on technical leadership are critical to success.

Licensing & Special Requirements

Incumbent is subject to a criminal background check.

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Position is based on-site in Bellingham, WA. Some travel may be required for research trials, conferences, or partner engagement. The employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, smell, visually inspect materials, walk, etc., and sometimes needs to lift and/or move up to 30 pounds while working around crop protection products. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers to handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms.

Tidal Vision provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or otherwise to balance the workload. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.