Senior Research Analyst
| Reports to | VP, BlueTech Research |
| Location | Remote. Must be based in Canada or the United States (Pacific to Atlantic time zones) |
| Employment | Full-time, permanent |
| Experience | 4 to 8 years, combining water or wastewater engineering with market-facing analytical work |
| Travel | Occasional: client meetings and industry events |
About BlueTech Research
BlueTech Research is a water technology market intelligence and advisory firm. We help investors, technology companies, utilities and industrial water users make better decisions about water technology: where markets are heading, which technologies will win, and which companies are worth backing. Our Advisory Services team delivers custom market studies, technology assessments and commercial due diligence for private equity firms, investment banks, Fortune 500 companies and leading water technology companies. We also host the BlueTech Forum and produced the award-winning documentaries Brave Blue World and Our Blue World.
The role
As a Senior Research Analyst, you will lead workstreams and, increasingly, whole engagements. You will structure the client’s question, build or direct the models, pressure-test the answer and present a clear recommendation to senior client stakeholders, while coaching Research Analysts along the way.
You will also help shape new work. That means scoping proposals, spotting follow-on opportunities and building BlueTech’s reputation in the market. We are looking for someone who can be trusted with a client, a deadline and a junior team, and who wants to grow toward leading the practice’s work.
The kind of work you will do
Representative examples of our engagements (illustrative, not a client list):
- Sizing the North American market for PFAS treatment across municipal drinking water and industrial wastewater, segmented by technology (granular activated carbon, ion exchange, high-pressure membranes and destruction).
- Benchmarking a dozen MBR, MABR and aerobic granular sludge suppliers on energy use, footprint, effluent quality, capex and opex for a strategic buyer.
- Running a horizon scan of emerging nutrient and resource recovery technologies for a chemicals company planning its next five years.
- Mapping technology and asset solutions across a utility’s treatment value chain to show where water reuse, biosolids and digital investments fit.
- Supporting commercial due diligence on a UV disinfection or instrumentation company for a private equity fund: market growth, competitive position, voice of customer and technology risk.
- Building a competitive landscape of industrial water treatment providers serving semiconductor fabs, data centers and mining operations.
Key responsibilities
Engagement and workstream leadership
- Translate loosely defined client questions into hypotheses, issue trees and workplans with clear deliverables, timelines and budgets.
- Own major workstreams end to end, and lead smaller engagements outright, from kickoff to final presentation.
- Direct and review the work of Research Analysts, set the analytical standard, and coach them as they develop.
Technology assessment and benchmarking
- Lead technology assessments and benchmarks, including technical due diligence on a target’s technology: maturity, differentiation, scalability, IP position and risk.
- Build and defend a clear point of view on which technologies will win, in which segments, and why.
- Develop technology and asset solution maps that help clients see where to invest across the water value chain.
Market sizing and forecasting
- Design market sizing and forecasting frameworks for water and wastewater technologies that others can build on.
- Quality-assure models for logic, consistency, source quality and engineering sense before they reach a client.
Due diligence, market studies and M&A support
- Lead commercial due diligence workstreams for private equity and strategic buyers: market attractiveness, competitive position, customer diligence and business plan assessment, often on tight deal timelines.
- Lead horizon scans, competitive landscapes and market studies, and support buy-side target screening and acquisition strategy for water technology companies.
- Plan and run expert and customer interview programs, and synthesize the findings into a clear view.
Clients and business development
- Act as a trusted day-to-day contact for clients, and present to C-suite executives, investment committees and utility leadership.
- Contribute to proposals, including scoping, approach, staffing and pricing inputs, and spot follow-on opportunities.
- Raise BlueTech’s profile through web briefings, articles and conference talks, including at BlueTech Forum.
AI and analytical innovation
- Design repeatable, AI-assisted research workflows (for example for horizon scans, company screening and interview synthesis) with clear quality controls, and train colleagues to use them.
- Champion tools such as Python, Power BI and data platforms where they make our work faster and better.
What you bring
Must haves
- A degree in civil, environmental or chemical engineering, or a closely related water science. A master’s in water or environmental engineering, or an MBA on top of an engineering degree, is a plus.
- 4 to 8 years of professional experience that includes both: at least 3 years in a hands-on water or wastewater technical role (process design, engineering consulting, a technology vendor, utility operations or applied research), or at least 2 years in a market-facing analytical role (market research, technology or commercial due diligence, water-focused strategy consulting, or corporate strategy or business development at a water company).
- A track record of building market sizing models, leading technology assessments or benchmarks, and contributing to due diligence or M&A process.
- The ability to structure ambiguous problems into hypotheses and workplans, and to land a clear, defensible recommendation.
- Experience presenting to senior stakeholders and writing executive-ready deliverables.
- Experience guiding and reviewing the work of junior colleagues.
- Based in Canada or the United States and eligible to work here.
Bonus points
- Experience at a water-focused consultancy or market intelligence firm, the advisory practice of an engineering firm, or the corporate development team of a water technology company.
- An understanding of M&A processes, financial statements and valuation fundamentals.
- Python, R, Power BI or Tableau for data analysis and visualization.
- AI-assisted research workflows you have built and can talk about in detail.
- An existing network across utilities, EPC firms, technology vendors or water investors.
- Eng. or PE designation.
- A record of speaking or publishing on water technology or markets.
