Chief Technology Officer

Role

We are looking for a Chief Technology Officer who can deliver complex cross-functional programmes in Chemical Engineering and R&D. This role reports to the CEO and is critical in the growth of Nium and getting to our climate targets as rapidly as we are capable.

You will work collaboratively, influence senior Science, Engineering and Business colleagues and leading the delivery of projects on time and on budget. You will have a Science or Engineering background, be proven in leading teams and have scaled technology teams in a startup to Scale up environment with a track record of delivering multimillion pound projects on time and on budget.

You will have global accountability for the planning, managing, and overseeing of all technical aspects including budgeting, design, development, quality testing and documentation, for both the Research and Commercial delivery in a hard tech context.

Key Responsibilities

• You will be the liaison, the translator and face of our technology, presenting regularly to the board and other internal and external stakeholders on Nium’s technological vision, strategies, and execution
• Collaborate with Project Leads to develop and manage program and project scope
• Technology Infrastructure development, including manufacturing and data management systems, ensuring the technology development and investment supports the company operations effectively and efficiently
• Risk management, including implementing robust risk management processes and ensuring appropriate safeguards
• Manage budgets, deliverables and understand risks; ensure alignment with major stakeholders (such as Research and Development, Science, Engineering, Operations & Leadership)
• Prioritise and manage multiple projects and programs with overlapping deadlines across different modalities and locations
• Support and motivate multi-disciplinary program and project teams; keep team members accountable to deliver and informed of any projects linked to their own.
• Influence senior management to secure required resources and capacity commitments and obtain buy-in of all relevant stakeholders.

You Will Have:

• Experience of managing international hard tech projects, internal and external stakeholders, including building teams and developing and mentoring employees
• A willingness to travel to project and partner sites in the UK and abroad
• Strategic thinker with excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex concepts through written and verbal mediums
• In-depth understanding of performance evaluation principles, including efficiency, effectiveness, financial viability
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and changing environment with strong knowledge of project management software systems and proficiency in using them
• Highly organised with a proven experience of program and project management in Science or Engineering field
• Attention to detail and time management skills
• Total commitment to Nium’s mission to eliminate emissions

Nice to Have:

• University qualified in a relevant scientific/Engineering field e.g. Chemical Engineering, Nanotechnology, material science, mechanical engineering etc.
• Innovative and proactive mindset with a passion for excellent delivery
• Partnerships and collaborations, including identifying opportunities for strategic partnerships and collaborations with technology startups and industry players
• Regulatory compliance - ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and standards governing the chemicals industry, including staying up-to-date with changes in regulations and addressing compliance issues within our technology development
• Knowledge of and passion for Climate focused industries a bonus

Benefits:

• Work at UK’s Science hubs, Milton Park & Harwell with access to world leading labs and extensive facilities
• Work with the Inventor and have real and immediate input to the project
• Share Options available in a fast growing company
• £1000 Annual Personal Development Budget
• 30 Days Annual Leave and your birthday off
• Hybrid working Environment

Company & Mission

We are Nium: A team of nano-scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. We founded Nium, a nanotechnology company, at Carbon13, the Venture Builder for the Climate Emergency, in the summer 2022 to eliminate greenhouse gases at a massive scale: at least 10,000,000 tonnes CO2e a year by 2030 and exponentially thereafter.

This is a long journey and we are a young company- but we are off to a brilliant start.

We have a patent pending nano-catalyst and scale up technology for ammonia synthesis, currently the most polluting chemical industrial process on our planet. We have access to the best labs in the UK and assembled an experienced international team and we have cutting edge facilities to take our technology to scale.

We won our first investment at Carbon 13 at Cambridge University in the Spring of 2022. We have won the support of Octopus Ventures, The BMW Foundation, Undaunted The Greenhouse at Imperial College. We recently secured $3million seed investment from Silicon Valley investors, Agfunder and deep tech venture capitalists DCVC alongside significant German, UK and Australian government support to scale up our technologies toward commercialisation.

We are a young startup, with all the chaos, uncertainty, potential and adventure that brings. We want this company to be the making of you, we want you to help to make this company. We have a healthy disdain for hierarchy and bureaucracy and a healthy respect for your mental health and home life.

So we can’t give you a cubicle, a corporate role and a predictable, easy job. We can give you meaningful work at a critical time, equity, impact, responsibility, autonomy and a chance to work directly on the number one problem we face.

We give you everything you need to succeed, including access to the best equipment and facilities, in our R&D centre and purpose built labs,. £1000 annual professional development budget, 8% matched pension contributions, hybrid working, a laptop, brand new facilities, compassionate and encouraging managers and space to do the most rewarding work of your life.

Culture

Whoever you are in terms of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexuality - we will respect you and we’ve got your back. In the context of climate, our ego’s and identities have to be checked at the door, including founders- we do this by keeping eyes locked on the mission and reminding ourselves what is at stake. This is much bigger than all of us.

We are three male founders. That's not ideal. We hire for cultural add not cultural ‘fit’. If we all look sound, dress, love, act and think like each other - that’s a problem. We believe diversity of thought, healthy conflict and challenging ****status quo are hallmarks of a disruptive business, the kind that will eliminate emissions at scale.

So we would rather you were different in some way. But if you are similar in some ways… that's ok too. It's about the work. Rather than working ‘for us’ you are working alongside us for the greater good, an inhabitable earth, infinite invention and a better tomorrow.

Values

Integrity : Do what you say

Openness : Listen, and say what you think

Heart : Do the right thing