Hybrid Cofounder, CTO

at Interplay

• Job title: Cofounder, CTO
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior, Lead
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: Postgraduate Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, United States

About the role

• Technical Co-founder and CTO leading the commercialization of clean rare earth separation technology. Responsible for overseeing technical roadmaps and ensuring project success from start to finish.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical due diligence, assessment, and commercial negotiation for licensing core rare-earth separation technologies (e.g., CMI’s Electrochemically Driven Dissolution, ReElement’s process, Geomega’s ISR).
• Translate licensed protocols into a robust, industrial-scale, continuous process-flow design with detailed mass and energy balances, focused on REE separation.
• Serve as the internal expert on electrochemical process optimization, hydrometallurgy (wet chemistry), and REE separation (e.g., solvent extraction or ion exchange).
• Lead EPC management for the initial Modular Commercial Plant (Phase I MVP), ensuring the 50–100 TPA facility is delivered on time and within budget.
• Define technical requirements and the CAPEX strategy for the subsequent 1,000+ TPA commercial facility (Phase II), optimizing for cost efficiency and modularity.
• Drive continuous improvement to maximize REE yield, minimize liquid/chemical waste, and reduce energy consumption.
• Select and manage key equipment suppliers (e.g., electrochemical cell manufacturers, solvent-extraction mixer-settlers, high-purity processing systems).
• Establish rigorous QA/QC protocols and in-house lab capabilities (e.g., ICP-MS or XRF) to verify the purity of incoming feedstock (swarf/e-waste) and the ultra-high purity (99.99%) of the final separated rare-earth oxides (REOs) against defense and industry requirements.
• Develop and enforce strict safety standards for industrial electrochemical cells, concentrated electrolytes, and chemical processing; ensure compliance with all applicable codes.
• Ensure all processing and waste streams comply with stringent environmental regulations (e.g., RCRA in the U.S.), leveraging the “green premium” of the licensed technology.
• Present technical progress, risks, and milestones clearly to the board, investors, and strategic partners (DoD, DOE grant programs).

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (preferred) or Extractive Metallurgy with a focus on advanced separation techniques.
• Requires 7+ years in industrial electrochemical scale-up.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience, including at least 3 years in a senior leadership role (VP or Director) within high-value industrial chemical processing, rare-earth, or specialty-chemicals environments.
• Expert-level, verifiable experience designing and scaling industrial electrochemical and/or hydrometallurgical processes (e.g., solvent extraction or ion exchange).
• Proven experience managing and successfully commissioning at least one multi-million-dollar CAPEX project (e.g., new production line, facility expansion, major process upgrade).
• Expert knowledge of industrial safety protocols related to concentrated chemical processing and high-purity chemical handling.
• Bias to action—you’re more of a doer than a researcher and not beholden to perfection.
• Direct experience with rare-earth elements or the high-purity chemical segment of the magnet value chain (preferred).
• Familiarity with government funding applications (e.g., DOE grants, DPA Title III) (preferred).
• Experience in a venture-backed startup or small, highly dynamic team (preferred).

Benefits

• None specified