Position: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Location: Woodinville, WA (Greater Seattle Area)
Reports To: CEO
Industry: Advanced Energy, Hydrogen Production, Decarbonization, Cleantech, Venture Capital
Company Size: 62 employees
We are at the forefront of energy and material innovation, developing and scaling cutting-edge chemical and thermal processes that enable low-carbon hydrogen production and carbon capture. The company is pioneering technology that significantly reduces emissions across industries while maintaining cost efficiency and scalability.
Backed by top-tier investors we are transitioning our breakthrough technology and customer pilots into commercialization at larger scale and volumes. With a strong foundation in R&D and engineering and nascent manufacturing, the company is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead its technical strategy as it scales into its next phase of growth.
The Opportunity
We need an exceptional Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with deep expertise in chemical process engineering to lead its technology vision, drive innovation, lead scoping and design work on customer projects, and oversee the scale-up of its methane pyrolysis technologies.
This is a high-impact leadership role that will define the company’s future technological direction and spearhead scale-up. The CTO will be instrumental in advancing proprietary process technology for commercialization in terms of scale-up and cost-down, and maturation on everything from ease of supply chain compatibility to project integration, as well as strengthening the company’s IP portfolio and ensuring our position as a leader in the industrial economy.
The ideal candidate is a world-class technical leader with a track record of scaling up chemical and thermal process technologies into deployed projects. They must possess the ability to navigate the intersection of R&D, engineering, and commercialization—while driving the design, scoping, and scale-up of complex chemical process projects. This leader must also thrive engaging with boards, investors, and customers, translating technical strategy into business value and ensuring alignment across all stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities:
• Technology Strategy & Leadership: Define and execute our technology roadmap, ensuring alignment with business objectives and market opportunities. Perform internal and external technology evangelism.
• Chemical Process Development: Drive the optimization and scale-up of novel chemical and thermal processes for hydrogen production and carbon management.
• Design & Scale-up of Process Systems: Oversee front end of scoping and designing scale up projects for complex chemical process technologies, ensuring cost-effectiveness and industrial viability
• Commercialization & Go-to-Market Execution: Lead the transition of innovations from pilot and FOAK to full-scale industrial deployments.
• IP Development & Competitive Positioning: Oversee intellectual property strategy to secure and protect the company’s technological leadership.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with the CEO, Product, and Commercial teams to integrate technical milestones with business growth strategies.
• Board & Investor Communication: Act as a key technical spokesperson, translating technical advancements into clear, compelling narratives for investors, board members, and strategic partners.
• Customer Engagement & Technical Sales Support: Collaborate with the commercial team to engage customers, understand market needs, ensure technology solutions align with industry demands, and evangelize our technology solutions to the customer.
• Regulatory & Safety Compliance: Ensure all technology development adheres to environmental, safety, and industry regulations.
• Building a World-Class Team: Recruit, develop, and lead a best-in-class technical team of engineers and scientists, fostering a culture of innovation, delivery, and technical excellence.
• Other duties as assigned.
Ideal Candidate Profile Experience & Expertise:
• Proven Industry Leadership: 15+ years in chemical process engineering, hydrogen production, carbon capture, pyrolysis, or industrial chemical technologies. Capable of defining and executing a technology and engineering strategy.
• Track Record of scale-up: Experience leading scaleups of chemical and thermal process technologies and deploying them into full-scale industrial deployment projects. World-class technical and people leader
• Process Engineering & Scale-Up: Broad and deep expertise in chemical process design, chemical reaction kinetics, chemical reactor design, heat transfer, scale-up strategies, FEL and FEED processes, chemical project development and scoping, and process modeling (e.g. Aspen or similar). Experience with solids handling, high temperature chemical reactors, and/or pyrolysis is a strong plus. Experience with mechanical design as well as chemical process design is a plus.
• Board & Investor Communication: Experience presenting technical and engineering strategies to boards, investors, and external stakeholders and bridging the gap between technology and business strategy.
• Customer & Market Engagement: Ability to engage customers on a technical level, translating technology advantages into industry solutions.
• Industry Knowledge & Network: Broad knowledge and connections with technology providers, partners, vendors, and suppliers in the chemical processing ecosystem to leverage best in class technical, engineering, and supply chain solutions.
• Leadership in Growth-Stage Companies: Experience in venture-backed, high-growth industrial technology or energy companies is a strong plus.
• Intellectual Property. Experience with building and implementing a patent strategy.
• People Leader, Team Builder, & Mentor. Connects with team members, lives company values, and inspires their team. Strong ability to attract, retain, and motivate top engineering and operations talent. Former direct reports and team members want to come work with them again.
• Business-Technical Translator: Adept at engaging non-technical stakeholders, including investors, customers, and regulators.
Why Join our team?
This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of industrial decarbonization and hydrogen technology. The CTO will have the chance to:
• Lead an industry-changing technology platform at the cutting edge of the hydrogen economy.
• Scale breakthrough process engineering innovations with a strong technical foundation and robust financial backing.
• Be part of a mission-driven team tackling one of the biggest energy and climate challenges of our time.
This is a career-defining opportunity for an ambitious technical and people leader to drive a high impact technology to commercialization.
Compensation & Benefits
• Salary range is $200,000 to $300,000/year.
• Ownership of the company in the form of incentive stock options (ISOs).
• Retirement matching through Ascensus’ SIMPLE IRA with elective 3% employer match.
• Company paid medical, dental, vision, life insurance ($100,000), and AD&D for employees. 50% covered for dependents.
• Optional access to our flexible spending account or health savings account, optional vision insurance buy-up, and additional voluntary life buy-up.
• Flexible time off to rest and recharge.
• 8 paid holidays.
• Flexible working schedules.
• Parental leave to welcome a new family member.
• Annual professional development budget.
• Employee assistance program which includes wellness planning, estate planning, financial counseling and more.
• Dog-friendly office, fully stocked breakroom, engaging company events, and friendly and fun team!
• Relocation assistance for those moving from out of state.
Exact salary may vary depending on job location, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, education, training, certifications/licenses, and other business needs.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the US. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
