Blue Monarch Management Job Board
Director, Research & Development — (AdvEn Inc.)
Nisku, Alberta, Canada .
full-time . February 7, 2026
Description
About AdvEn
AdvEn is a clean-technology company operating in global markets at the intersection of advanced materials and proprietary processes in the energy storage space specifically focused on supplying supercapacitor manufacturers.
As the company moves through commercialization and scale, disciplined execution, strong governance, and decision-ready insight are critical to long-term success.
Learn more at https://adveninc.com
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Director, Research & Development to provide senior technical leadership across AdvEn’s advanced materials and proprietary processes.
This is a senior, hands-on leadership role suited to someone who combines deep technical expertise with the judgment to operate effectively in a development-stage, technology-driven business.
The Role
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Director, Research & Development is accountable for the integrity, repeatability, and decision-readiness of AdvEn’s research and development outputs.
The role exists to ensure that experimental results, technical data, and specifications are suitable for internal decision-making, customer qualification, and disciplined scale-up, while managing the technical and execution risks inherent in development-stage technologies.
The Director, Research & Development will guide the company through its growth phase by establishing rigorous experimental discipline, governed specifications, and defensible technical data as organizational complexity increases.
Key Responsibilities
Scientific Leadership and Experimental Discipline
- Lead the activated carbon research and development program to establish clear cause-and-effect relationships between process inputs, operating conditions, and resulting material properties.
- Design and enforce rigorous experimental methodologies emphasizing repeatability, traceability, and statistical validity.
- Translate laboratory and pilot-scale findings into controlled, scalable processes suitable for early production environments.
- Act as the internal technical authority on activated carbon material science and process behavior during the development-to-commercialization transition.
Specifications, Data, and Technical Governance
- Develop, validate, and maintain material and process specifications that support internal production control and external customer qualification.
- Establish standards for technical documentation, data capture, traceability, and reporting across the R&D function.
- Ensure technical data and specifications are defensible under customer, partner, investor, and advisor scrutiny.
Technology Readiness and Scale-Up Support
- Advance the activated carbon technology through defined readiness stages using evidence-based criteria.
- Provide technical input into scale-up planning, pilot operations, and early production readiness.
- Identify and manage technical risks associated with process variability, material performance, and scale-up transitions.
Cross-Functional and External Collaboration
- Collaborate with Operations and Production leadership to align R&D outputs with manufacturing realities and constraints.
- Support Commercial and Business Development activities by providing accurate and defensible technical information for customer qualification and engagement.
- Engage with external partners, customers, and technical advisors as required to support qualification processes and reinforce technical credibility.
What We’re Looking For
Required
- Advanced degree (PhD or MSc) in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrochemistry, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience translating laboratory-scale results into controlled, scalable processes.
- Experience working with advanced functional materials, porous carbon, or closely related material systems.
- Experience operating in growth-stage, technology-driven, or complex organizations.
Essential Capabilities
- Deep expertise in experimental design, data analysis, and technical documentation.
- Strong technical judgment in environments with evolving processes and incomplete data.
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
- Comfort operating under external scrutiny from customers, partners, and investors.
What Success Looks Like (12–24 Months)
- Leadership confidence in the reliability and interpretability of R&D data.
- Clearly defined and governed material and process specifications.
- Reduced experimental rework through improved rigor and repeatability.
- Credible readiness to support customer qualification and early commercialization.
Location and Work Model
This role is primarily office-based, with flexibility as appropriate.
AdvEn’s current production operations are located in Nisku, Alberta, and on-site presence is required, with some flexibility.
Additional effort during close, audit, and reporting cycles should be expected.
Recruitment Process
Blue Monarch Management is pleased to support AdvEn with recruitment for this role. AdvEn is the employer of record, and all employment decisions will be made by AdvEn. Applications are being managed through Blue Monarch Management’s recruitment platform as part of an HR managed services engagement.
How to Apply
If this role aligns with your skills, qualifications, education, and desired career path, we would like to hear from you.