VP of Engineering

Found Energy is building clean energy delivery platforms capable of replacing fossil fuels for heavy industries ranging from aluminum production (4% of global CO2 emissions) to fertilizer production (2% of global CO2 emissions) to maritime shipping (3% of global CO2 emissions). Building off technology developed at MIT that enables metallic aluminum to split water, our energy delivery systems safely generate hydrogen and industrial heat on-site at >5x the volumetric energy density of liquid hydrogen and >3x that of methanol and ammonia. By integrating storage, transport, and generation into a single package, our technology solves some of the biggest pain points in renewable energy transportation and storage.

At Found Energy, we believe in securing a livable and equitable future for our planet, and we are looking for partners who are motivated by this goal to join us. For more information, visit https://found.energy.

Benefits Overview

Health, dental, 20 days PTO, 11 holidays, 5 wellbeing days, 12 weeks parental leave, stock options, professional development budget, and more.

Job Overview

Found Energy is seeking a VP of Engineering who will lead the development and deployment of the company’s first commercial-scale aluminum-thermal power systems. To date, the company has demonstrated core technologies in industrialized subscale systems. Meeting our first commercial technical milestones will require scaling these systems 20-50x. The ideal candidate will understand this scale-up process exceptionally well, ideally from their own experience taking an advanced prototype chemical reactor or similar to a full commercial system. They will build on a solid base of experience from their background that will help Found Energy succeed in its mission to help customers meet their decarbonization goals.

In this role, the VP of Engineering will develop and maintain an efficient connection between Found Energy’s engineering and materials development teams, translating the best scientific results into subsystems, components, and fully integrated products that are critical to the company’s strategic goals. An ideal candidate is an experienced leader who is not only strong in people management, but can coach and mentor other team leads to help them improve their skills in this area as well.

The VP of Engineering will work closely with the company’s Chief Science Officer to ensure that the R&D roadmap is aligned with the capabilities and timelines of the engineering teams. They will proactively flag issues as they come up, communicate them directly to the leadership team, and participate in technical and strategic problem solving.

Beyond technical experience, the ideal VP of Engineering candidate is also experienced in managing large, multi-disciplinary projects, and they excel at keeping projects on schedule and in line with customer requirements, which may change over time. At Found Energy, the VP of Engineering will determine and communicate resource needs that will inform high-level budgetary planning and adherence, as well as allocate and manage these resources. This role therefore requires highly structured organizational practices, while at the same time being open and able to adapting to unexpected results and situations.

This role also generally requires an understanding of the process of commercializing a novel product, including integration into sometimes conservative industries. The VP of Engineering will support the commercial team to give confidence to our customers in our ability to deliver through their technical expertise, experience, and approach to interacting with customers.

Finally, given the executive function of this position, the VP of Engineering must be well-aligned with our company's values and overall mission to decarbonize heavy industry.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Oversee current projects demonstrating core technologies in subscale systems
  • Ensure coordination of system subteams, leading on-time completion and delivery of projects in pipeline
  • Optimize processes and, if needed, design of reactors to ensure production and delivery of numerous reactors efficiently
  • Allocate appropriate resources and oversee construction of reactors
  • Coordinate with upper management and customers to ensure technical requirements, safety standards, and various certifications are being met
• Lead development of commercial-scale power systems, including all support systems
  • Help spin up and commission in-house test facility already in progress
  • Lead the design, integration, testing, and delivery of our next-gen commercial-scale power systems
  • Coordinate with leadership on budgets and resource allocation at various stages of development
  • Coordinate with upper management and customers to ensure technical requirements, safety standards, and required certifications are being met
• Coordinate between managers and subprojects, as well as the materials development team to ensure best knowledge is being utilized
  • Communicate status, ideas, plans, and challenges with company leadership to find solutions
  • Support commercial team and sales process, including generating materials for and interacting directly with customers
• Opportunities to travel domestically and internationally
• Participate in building and growing company culture and values

Preferred Qualifications

• Deeply motivation to address climate change and its downstream impacts
• Mechanical Engineering degree (Masters/PhD), Chemical Engineering degree, or similar experience, plus significant industry experience
• Exceptional organizational, leadership, and communication skills
• Experience translating technologies from prototypes into commercial-scale systems
• Willingness and ability to engage with customers on project / product requirements and implementation details
• Experience with budget forecasting, particularly as it relates to project management
• Extensive project management experience and expertise in specific methodologies

Research suggests that qualified people from historically marginalized groups may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who might not meet the exact requirements, but who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

Found Energy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.