CTO

About LeydenJar

LeydenJar Technologies aims to become world’s innovation leader in advanced battery anodes to energize batteries for progress. High energy density of battery cells is an urgent and unmet need for a wide range of industries from consumer electronics to electric vehicles. By addressing the bottleneck of the battery anode, LeydenJar can improve this by 70% in an industry that can only improve 3% per year. Our pure silicon anode is regarded as the holy grail to achieve in the battery industry. Progress is not only about enabling new products, it also means a more sustainable supply chain, resilience and access to battery technology in geopolitical context and enabling electrification.

Our business model is to provide pure silicon anode rolls that fit directly in the battery plants of cell partners, allowing our clients to make step change in their product performance, or to allow new product categories such as e-flight. Our immediate focus in on the consumer electronics industry, with first automotive application development starting in shortly. To produce pure silicon anodes, we have crossed over from semicon thin film technology (plasma deposition) to anode production. This has given us a unique product quality that can last long without the problems associated with silicon as a battery material. To produce this material at scale we have pioneered roll to roll production tools that we will deploy in PlantOne in Eindhoven, expected to open in 2026. We will produce rolls and validate the production tools, allowing us to ramp up to large commercial production in PlantTwo (location to be determined). Ramping up to become a leading player in the battery market is an enormous opportunity, but also daunting development that requires a team of energy dense professional leaders. 

We are currently recruiting a Chief Technology Officer /CTO that will help us navigate the uncertainties as a fast growing deeptech scale-up while becoming predictable to our shareholders and other stakeholders. 

The role:

The CTO at our Pure Silicon anode battery technology company transforms our proprietary plasma deposition- and battery technology into anode rolls and related production platforms that allow our customers to create the next wave of innovation in consumer electronic devices and in electric mobility. In this role you will make real impact by focusing on anode materials,  on development of scalable production processes and enabling equipment, on new applications and on integration of our technology in the supply chain by world class battery partners, supported by raw material suppliers and equipment partners.

The Chief Technology Officer is responsible for research, materials development, (roll-to-roll) plasma deposition equipment design & engineering, process improvement, application development, production ramp-up and industrialization. The CTO drives a leading technology & IP strategy development process and owns both the technology and product roadmaps. The CTO brings a creative and innovative mindset while implementing a rigorous process to bring new anode materials to mature customer applications and cost-effective robust industrial volume production. In a collegiate Executive Leadership team the CTO acts as a team player while jointly executing the 5-year business plan and delivering predictably agreed results.  

Key Responsibilities:

Technology Strategy and Vision:

• In concert with the CEO and executive team, develop and implement a comprehensive technology roadmap that aligns with and delivers the company's long-term goals.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and industry best practices to maintain the company’s competitive edge and insight on market.
• Develop a high value IP portfolio
• Understand the role of Machine Learning to tap the potential of our proprietary plasma production and battery data lake.

Technology Development:

• Lead and manage the R&D teams to innovate and improve Pure Silicon anode roll products and solutions based on plasma deposition recipes and -processes
• Ensure effective collaboration between R&D, engineering, and product development teams
• Develop value added ancillary products such as datasets, licensing and services
• Play a crucial role in leveraging technology to drive business growth: business intelligence, data governance and security, integration of data sources
• Set IP strategy, covering three main IP sectors; patent management, trade secret management, and trademark management.

Product Development:

• Lead the product development of Pure Silicon products through their lifecycle from concept into production, ensuring high-quality and cost-effective solutions.
• Define and implement appropriate and robust testing and quality assurance protocols to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Ensure all products and processes comply with relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Industrialization:

• Design the process and architecture of the plasma deposition equipment (development tooling as well as roll-to-roll volume production), select and manage the supply chain partners and coordinate a timely release of production ready tools (hardware and software)
• Assure the fundamental underpinning industrialization are developed
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to the engineering team, promoting professional growth and skill development.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-functional collaboration within the organization, ensure proper succession planning .
• Qualify new battery prototypes, lead application development for LeydenJar anodes and transfer these successfully to battery cell partners around the world for competitive cell production

Strategic Partnerships:

• Establish and maintain mission oriented strategic partnerships with academic institutions, research organizations, and industry partners to foster innovation and collaboration.
• Assure the company is competently represented in technical forums, conferences, and industry consortia.

Budget and Resource Management :

• Develop and manage the technology budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Optimize the use of technology and infrastructure to achieve business objectives.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (Ph.D. or Master’s) in a relevant scientific or engineering field (credible with investors)
• Demonstrable capability to understand highly technical areas including electrochemistry, materials, thin films, plasma coating
• Demonstrable evidence of success in leading the industrialisation of techology-based physical products (ie not just software)
• Experience in leading complex high-tech system development and outsourced manufacturing
• Proven track record of leading successful R&D projects and product development initiatives
• Understanding and experience of IP portfolio management in a complex product-based environment
• Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience in high tech industries such as PV, semicon, batteries, thin film.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor physics, thin film deposition processes, and photovoltaic cell fabrication

Key Competencies and personality traits:

• Strategic Vision and Technical Expertise: Ability to think strategically and execute methodically.
• Pioneering and Entrepreneurial Spirit: Creative, flexible, and ambitious to position LeydenJar as a global leader in silicon anode technology.
• Professionalism and Perseverance: Well-structured, process-oriented, and professional.
• Leadership and Team Building: Proven leadership skills, with experience in coaching and team building.
• Advanced Materials Industrialization: Expertise in the industrialization of advanced materials.
• Project and Budget Management: Strong skills in managing projects and budgets.
• Effective Communication: Fluent in English, with Dutch being an advantage.
• Collaboration and Partnership Building: Ability to build and maintain effective collaborations and partnerships.
• Regulatory Awareness: Knowledge of relevant regulations and compliance requirements.

Reporting:

The CTO will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and will be a key member of the executive leadership team.

Location: Eindhoven (main location) and Leiden

Selection procedure

• 
  
• Informal conversation with the CEO/co-founder (Christian Rood)
• Interview with Supervisory Board members
• Online personality assessment
• Interviews with Leadership and management team members
• Case presentation to Leadership team and Supervisory Board
• Conditions of employment.
• Reference check;
• Selection assessment 

If you'd like to learn more about LeydenJar amazing team, see below:

At LeydenJar we value diversity, and we provide equal opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, pregnancy/childbirth, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, etc. If there are two or more applicants of equal suitability for a certain position, LeydenJar can under circumstances decide to select applicants based on positive discrimination in full compliance with all relevant and applicable law.