RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Company: EarthEnable Kenya

Reports to: R&D Manager

Location: Busia, Kenya – with significant time in rural villages

How to Apply: Apply Here

Who We Are

At EarthEnable, we believe that our clients deserve our very best, that morning high-fives are the best way to start the day, and that the best ideas could come from any part of the company. We celebrate each other’s wins, learn from our setbacks, and are deeply proud of the impact we make every day. We believe that a clean, dust-free floor means more than living in a healthy home. It means pride and dignity in the place our customers most treasure: their homes. Being a part of our team means more than building floors: it means building an organization and building a better future for rural families.

What We Do

EarthEnable is transforming how people live by making homes healthier for families across rural Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda and helping to reduce the polluting impact of the building industry on the environment. Most Kenyans live in homes with dirt floors that are dusty, unsanitary, and fertile breeding grounds for parasites and germs. While replacing a dirt floor with concrete has significant health benefits (e.g., reducing diarrhea by 50% and parasitic infections by 80%), concrete is unaffordable for many who need it and is a huge contributor to global pollution.

To counter the environmental and affordability issues surrounding concrete, EarthEnable has spent the past 8+ years developing and selling high-quality, earthen floors and plasters that are 80% cheaper than concrete with 90% less embodied energy.

About the Role

The Research & Development (R&D) Officer will support the development, testing, and continuous improvement of sustainable construction materials and processes. The role combines laboratory research, field experimentation, product development, and data analysis to improve product performance, reduce costs, and support operational excellence.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys both scientific research and hands-on field work.

The responsibilities of this role will include, but not be limited to:

Design and Implement Experiments

Design experiments and develop detailed protocols

Execute and document findings of experiments in a detailed and organized database, in case of unsuccessful experiments, document reasons for failure

Piloting experiment to different districts

• Plan, monitor, and evaluate field pilot projects to validate product performance in different districts
• Document learning whether successful or failure experiment to inform future workload.
• Work with the construction/ district to ensure pilots are implemented collaboratively
• and new learning is captured and shared.
• Develop manuals that will be used during the dissemination of the projects.

Collaboration with District Team

• Visit district to collect data and understand their needs, innovation challenges to inform R&D research agenda
• Help the district team to develop a protocol of experiments and oversee execution to
• ensure they are being done accordingly and all learnings are documented and shared
• with other districts.
• Meet with clients and analyze other sources of feedback and data to identify product
• failure and product improvement

Required qualifications & Key capabilities

• Chemistry, Physics, and Civil Engineering Background
• Willingness to spend more time in our lab running different experiments.
• Willingness to touch Mud and work with mud
• Understanding of R&D processes like protocol development or planning
• experiments, e.g. through previous experience or education
• Excellent attention to detail
• Hard-working and committed to do whatever it takes to get work done
• Curiosity-driven
• Commitment to excellence and outstanding work ethic
• Ability to be creative, strategic, analytical, and think outside the box to solve problems
• Flexible and adaptable to changing environments; thrives in a bootstrapped culture