CTO at biochar climate-tech startup

Big ambition. Full ownership.
We’re looking for a hands-on technology leader to build on our validated reactor designs and deliver reliable deployment at scale. You’ll shape our technology roadmap, grow the engineering team, and drive the development and industrialization to set the global standard for decentralized biochar production.
Company
Cotierra is a climate-tech startup company making agricultural value chains more resilient by providing the infrastructure for scalable and trusted biochar interventions. We develop decentralized pyrolysis systems and a verification platform to turn crop residues into high-quality biochar, improving soils and farm productivity while removing carbon from the atmosphere with full traceability. Starting in coffee, we work with farmers and some of the world’s leading agricultural and food companies to deploy our solution at scale across the tropics.
Responsibilities
Own Cotierra’s overall technology roadmap and technical architecture
Lead development of our reactor equipment and embedded software from R&D and prototyping through testing and iteration
Drive industrialization from validated design to robust serial production
Build and scale the international manufacturing setup, suppliers, quality assurance, and production processes
Lead, mentor and develop the cross-functional engineering team
Contribute to company-level strategic decisions
Must Have
8+ years of experience building hardware products involving mechanical engineering and electronics
Experience taking products from prototype to international roll-out and serial production ideally in startup context
Strong manufacturing and supply chain experience
Experience leading engineering teams
Highly structured and methodical technical problem solver
Comfortable operating in a startup environment with ambiguity and resource constraints
Excellent communication skills in multidisciplinary teams
Fluent in English
Nice to Have
Experience in pyrolysis, gasification, high-temperature systems, steel fabrication
Software engineering know-how (full stack)
Spanish / Portuguese / German
Personality
Radical ownership
Extremely hands-on
Builds MVPs within days, not months
Curious and continuously learning
Ability to connect technical decisions with product and business requirements
Comfortable making decisions with incomplete information
Location
Flexible homebase
Willing to travel extensively (~ 4 months annually to project regions Latam, manufacturing regions and management sessions Switzerland)

Work arrangement
Yes