Chief Executive Officer Jobs

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) Reports To: Board of Directors / Curable

POSITION DESCRIPTION: Full-Time: In-Person / Hybrid

Location: Fort Collins, CO

ABOUT: Curable Composites is an early-stage, innovative composite technology company specializing in high-quality carbon fiber composite parts and molds via additive manufacturing. As a university spinout from a highly recognized technical founder and the Lab to Life Venture Studio at Colorado State University, we are positioned to lead the industry in new manufacturing approaches. As we emerge from our L2L Studio, we seek a great leader to capitalize on this opportunity together. Our advanced technology and materials can serve a diverse range of industries, including automotive, marine, wind energy, and aerospace. As the first CEO of Curable Composites, you will have the opportunity to lead our dynamic team, drive strategic market entry and early-stage growth, and establish our company as an emerging leader in the additive composite manufacturing industry.

ROLE: Curable Composites is seeking a visionary and accomplished early-stage CEO to provide strategic direction, operational leadership, customer engagement, and foster innovation within our technology company. As the CEO, you will be responsible for steering the company's growth, driving business development efforts, and nurturing strategic partnerships, while reporting to the Board of Directors to co-create a vision, strategy, and operations. Your experience, business acumen, and leadership will play a pivotal role in positioning Curable Composites as an industry leader, driving further innovation, and fostering sustainable growth.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategic Leadership:

• Foster a culture of innovation, encouraging research and development initiatives to enhance our capabilities.
• Develop and execute a forward-thinking strategic vision that aligns with the overall goals and objectives of Curable Composites.
• Identify emerging market opportunities, industry trends, and potential disruptions to guide the company's launch and competitive positioning.

Operations Management:

• In partnership with the founder/CTO and the Director of Operations, oversee all aspects of Curable Composites, ensuring streamlined manufacturing processes, quality control, customer satisfaction, and on-target revenue and costs.
• Implement and maintain industry best practices and standards to ensure product excellence and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize production workflows, resource allocation, and supply chain management.

Business Development:

• Lead market entry efforts by exploring geographies, verticals, and customer segments pragmatically.
• Represent Curable Composites at industry conferences, trade shows, and events to enhance brand visibility and foster relationships with potential clients.
• Drive early business growth by identifying and cultivating strategic partnerships, joint ventures, and collaborations with key stakeholders in the automotive, marine, wind energy, and aerospace industries (or others, as you identify).
• Deepen our understanding of product-market fit and secure important early, innovative customers that represent growth opportunities.

Team Leadership:

• Provide inspirational leadership and guidance to a small, diverse team, promoting a culture of collaboration, teamwork, innovation, and excellence.
• Set clear performance goals, conduct quarterly evaluations, and provide constructive feedback to drive individual, team, and company growth.
• Recruit diverse talent and fashion high-performing teams across various functions within the organization.
• Foster a supportive and collaborative work environment, offering growth opportunities and professional development initiatives to empower employees in advancing their careers within Curable Composites.

Financial Management:

• Lead future fundraising initiatives with leadership guidance to secure critical financial resources and enhance the organization's market positioning.
• Develop early pricing strategies and multiple revenue streams to validate their viability and adaptability in the market.
• Develop and manage the company's financial strategies, budgets, and forecasts to ensure sustainable growth and a path to profitability.
• Monitor key financial indicators, analyze market trends, and identify opportunities for improving financial outcomes.
• Manage early-stage funding use while strategizing and planning for future fundraising endeavors to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Required Qualifications:

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve desired results.
• Experience in fundraising for Seed, Series A, or Series B stages.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering, business administration, or a related field.
• Experience reaching early-stage goals in product development, business development, and talent acquisition. Demonstrated success in strategic planning, business development, and market entry.
• Demonstrate a strong grasp of product-market fit and exhibit proficiency in new customer acquisition, along with the ability to adeptly navigate the iterative process associated with refining these aspects.
• Prior experience in a leadership role, ideally as a CEO or in business development, within an early-stage company operating in a related industry, with a particular emphasis on expertise in component and parts manufacturing for the automotive, marine, wind, and/or aerospace sectors. Additionally, desired expertise in selling composite solutions specifically tailored for these markets.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with quality control standards, regulatory requirements, and industry certifications related to manufacturing.
• Strong financial acuity, including budgeting, financial analysis, and resource allocation.
• In-depth knowledge of composites/additive manufacturing technologies, materials, and processes relevant to the automotive, marine, wind energy, and aerospace sectors.

Expectations:

• Establish and maintain effective relationships
• Innovate for efficiency and embrace continuous process improvement
• Independently manage time, projects, and deadlines with critical thinking and curiosity
• Occasional business travel for events, customer visits, and business development
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Exercise good judgment and attention to detail
• Operate with professionalism, ethics, integrity, confidentiality, and discretion
• Strong advisory and presentation abilities

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work Environment: The company is based in Fort Collins, CO. Expectation is that significant time will be spent in Fort Collins. The work environment for this position entails typical office conditions where employees engage in the essential functions of their job. Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions effectively. The environment may involve movement across different business units within the office setting. Occasional travel may be required, using a personal vehicle for which the company reimburses standard mileage rates. It is important to note that the noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.

Physical Demands: The physical demands associated with this job primarily involve working in a typical office environment. This entails sitting at a desk or table, with occasional standing or walking within the office. There may be repetitive hand, wrist, or finger movements involved in performing job tasks. The employee should have the ability to navigate a multi-level office building comfortably. The manufacturing setting is more physical, as there are large robotic arms, and safety protocols must be created and followed to keep a safe work environment for all employees, contractors, etc.

Equipment: Standard office equipment, such as copiers, printers, computers, tablets, and cell phones are utilized in this role. It is expected that the CEO will provide their own computer for work responsibilities.

Curable Composites provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Note: This position is an at-will position in accordance with the laws of the state of Colorado and the United States federal government. This job description is not a complete statement of all duties and responsibilities comprising this position.

As the CEO of Curable Composites, you will spearhead our journey toward becoming a leading additive manufacturing company in the carbon fiber composite parts and molds market. If you possess a visionary mindset, a passion for innovation, and a track record of leadership in the industry, we invite you to join our dynamic team and help shape the future of Curable Composites.

Compensation:

• Salary: $125-$200K, base + bonuses, commensurate with experience, structure negotiable, and seeking to build alignments.
• Equity: significant equity incentive plan, negotiable and seeking to build alignments.