Innovation specialist/senior innovation specialist

Location: Calgary Head Office, Edmonton, Houston
Job status: Full Time Permanent
Department: Engineering
Is this position safety sensitive: No
At Gibson, we believe our competitive advantage lies in the strength and talents of our employees. That means connecting our employees to rewarding careers, building a high-performance culture where collaboration and creativity are rewarded, and providing real growth opportunities for employees to take on new challenges.
The Role The Innovation Specialists/Senior Innovation Specialist owns applied research and development that converts industrial problems into validated technology solutions and commercialization recommendations. Reporting to the Vice President (VP), Innovation & Commercial Engineering, this senior individual contributor role integrates scientific judgment with operating, delivery and economic considerations. The role also provides scientific guidance and support to commercial engineers deploying validated solutions at scale while retaining scientific ownership of the technology.
What You Will Do Assesses developing technology including mechanical, chemical or process solutions offered by potential vendors and partners against technical credibility, economic potential and adoption barriers.
Develops and owns applied research and development (R&D) programs including defining the industry problem to be solved, articulating the value hypotheses, setting decision criteria, and seeking approval of scope and resources to complete evaluation.
Designs experiments using representative samples, controls, independent replication, measurement-quality checks and explicit technical, economic and stop criteria.
Engages engineering and operations technical subject-matter experts (SMEs) on representative conditions, operating constraints, adverse effects, maintainability and acceptance evidence.
Engages project execution and operations engineering teams on trial installation, industrial integration, scale-up, tie-ins, outages, commissioning and deployment cost and schedule.
Conducts and coordinates laboratory, pilot and field investigations within competence and approved controls, securing required asset, safety and engineering authorizations.
Interprets results, investigates adverse effects and discloses uncertainty, distinguishing laboratory observations from reproducible performance and defensible commercial claims.
Recommends continue, pivot, validate, scale-up or stop decisions from evidence and economics; resolves material operating and delivery concerns before claiming readiness.
Coordinates confidentiality, intellectual property, sample and data ownership, partnerships and external disclosure with Legal and authorized decision-makers.
Demonstrates a personal commitment and proactive approach to Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) through participation in all applicable EH&S programs and ensures safe operation of the branch, team or unit and compliance with all Company EH&S policies and procedures.
May perform other duties as assigned.
What You Bring To The Role Degree in chemistry, experimental or applied science, engineering or a related field, or a relevant technology diploma with equivalent demonstrated industrial R&D experience and capability.
Minimum 8 years of relevant laboratory, pilot, field or industrial technology experience, or an equal combination of education and relevant experience.
Demonstrates hands‑on ownership of experimental design, sample and data integrity, interpretation and evidence‑based validation, scale‑up, pivot or stop decisions.
Demonstrates relevant industrial application experience, including hydrocarbons, chemical treatment, materials, or processing, and the ability to work with variable feedstocks and operating conditions.
Demonstrates direct engagement with engineering and operations technical SMEs, and project execution teams to translate scientific evidence into feasible commercial solutions.
Demonstrates ability to assess technology economics, adoption barriers, adverse effects and uncertainty and to coordinate external laboratories, vendors and qualified specialists.
Works independently within approved programs, uses sound scientific judgment and recognizes the limits of personal competence and authorized engineering or asset work.
Demonstrates clear written/verbal communication, strong analytical and organizational skills and proficiency with relevant laboratory/data‑analysis tools, spreadsheets and Microsoft products.
Working Conditions The proposed corporate location is Calgary, with office work and laboratory, pilot or field activity as required by assigned programs; final work location and work pattern require confirmation.
Travel and laboratory or operating‑site access may be required. Confirm exposure, handling, personal protective equipment (PPE), training and safety‑sensitive requirements before issue or assignment
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