Tidal Agriscience Director of Research & Development

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

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.

Tidal Grow Agri Science 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.

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.

The Director of Research & Development is responsible for leading Tidal Grow Agri Science’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.

• 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,…