Director, Capital Projects & Strategy

Role overview

Zentek Ltd. is seeking a senior operator to lead its project-delivery engine and planning discipline. This position sits at the center of Albany execution, broader capital initiatives, financial modeling, FP&A, and sales & operations planning (S&OP). It reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

The mandate is to bring structure and rigor to how the business plans, funds, and delivers work as it scales. The role is intended for someone who has already owned major delivery and planning responsibilities, not someone who has only advised from the sidelines.

Core scope

This leader is accountable for four main areas: end-to-end delivery of the Albany program from PEA through PFS, pilot work, and commercial build-out; oversight of other capital projects as the company grows; ownership of three-statement modeling and FP&A; and coordination of S&OP across the company’s commercial verticals.

Relationship with Finance

The CFO remains responsible for controllership, including accounting, treasury, audit, tax, financial controls, capital structure, banking relationships, and public disclosure. This role focuses on the operational side of finance, including modeling, forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, project-level inputs, board materials, and delivery support. The two functions are designed to work in partnership.

Responsibilities

• Drive Albany delivery from feasibility through pilot, engineering, and commercial scale-up.
• Lead the planning and execution of capital projects outside the Albany program as required.
• Build, maintain, and improve three-statement financial models for the business.
• Own budgeting, forecasting, variance review, and board reporting inputs.
• Set up and run S&OP / integrated business planning across the company’s commercial lines.
• Coordinate closely with the CEO, CFO, QP, research collaborators, and external contractors.
• Hire, coach, and manage a small team of analysts as the function grows.
• Track milestones, surface risks early, and maintain delivery discipline across workstreams.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated background that combines capital project ownership with finance or FP&A leadership.
• Hands-on experience creating and maintaining three-statement operating models in Excel.
• Direct involvement in an FP&A function, including budgeting, forecasting, month-end rhythm, variance analysis, and board packages.
• Proven ownership of a capital project with at least C$50M scope, including holding contractors to schedule and deliverables.
• Working knowledge of NI 43-101 and FEED-stage engineering processes, including QP sign-off and technical disclosure requirements.
• Experience managing 2 to 4 direct reports, with a record of hiring and developing junior talent.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, finance, or another quantitative discipline.
• MBA, CFA, or P.Eng. is strongly preferred, with more than one of these considered especially valuable.
• Exposure to Canadian government funding programs is strongly preferred.
• Public-company experience, ideally with TSX-V or TSX reporting and board cadence, is preferred.
• Exposure to S&OP in a multi-product or multi-platform business is preferred.
• Relevant network in advanced materials, mining engineering, process metallurgy, or critical minerals finance is an asset.

Leadership style and working expectations

The ideal candidate is highly accountable, comfortable making decisions without heavy hierarchy, and able to communicate directly and clearly. This person should already have a track record of delivering against a major project, commercial objective, or P&L responsibility.

The role requires a strong bias toward action, peer-level accountability, and the ability to operate effectively in a flat, networked leadership environment. Success will be judged by outcomes, not by org size or title.

Onsite requirement

For the first 12 months, this role is based onsite in the Greater Toronto Area. The company is establishing itself along the Highway 404 / 407 corridor, and daily in-office presence is expected during the build phase. Travel may also be required to Northern Ontario, U.S. customer locations, and contractor offices.

After the first year, the role is expected to shift to a hybrid arrangement. Candidates must be able to commit to daily onsite attendance during the initial 12-month period.

Team structure

This position has authority to build its own team, with headcount capped at two analysts in year one. The first hire is expected to focus on monthly reporting, budget tracking, variance analysis, board-pack data, and model upkeep. A second analyst may be added if workload requires support for project tracking, contractor coordination, S&OP data, and schedule management.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation is positioned above a standard Director-level capital projects package due to the combined scope of project delivery, modeling, FP&A, and S&OP ownership. The package includes base salary, a target bonus with milestone-based triggers, stock options, benefits, and long-term incentive participation. Final terms are confirmed at offer stage. Option grants are subject to TSX-V approval and available option pool capacity.

Success measures

Performance will be evaluated across four areas: capital project execution, financial planning discipline, S&OP integration, and team formation.

Not a fit

• People who prefer rigid hierarchy and need constant direction to operate.
• Advisers who have recommended solutions but not personally owned delivery, deadlines, or milestones.
• Individuals focused mainly on growing headcount, budgets, or organizational reach.
• Those who routinely escalate ordinary decisions instead of taking ownership.
• Communicators who prioritize internal positioning over clarity and directness.
• Pure project managers without meaningful financial modeling and FP&A capability.
• Finance-only candidates without real capital project delivery experience.
• Applicants who expect equal authority over capital structure decisions, which remain led by the CFO.
• Anyone unable to be onsite daily in the GTA for the first year.
• About Zentek

Zentek Ltd. is a Canadian advanced materials and life sciences company with three business platforms: Albany Graphite, ZenGUARD Coatings, and Triera Biosciences. The company is entering a phase focused on operational discipline and commercial scaling.

The organization operates with a flat, networked leadership model. Directors and above report directly to the CEO, accountability is shared across peers against named annual outcomes, and cross-functional work is managed through time-bound working groups with explicit decision rights. The company aims to scale execution without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.