Chief Technology Officer

About Us

At Green Mountain Technologies (GMT), we’re on a mission to transform organic waste into a valuable resource. Organic waste in landfills is a major source of methane emissions, contributing significantly to climate change. Instead of polluting our environment, this waste can be converted into compost, a nutrient-rich soil amendment that builds healthy soils, stores carbon, improves water retention, and supports sustainable agriculture.

We are passionate about fostering a thriving compost industry through innovative, reliable, and accessible technology. Our philosophy of Engineered Simplicity guides everything we develop: equipment that is easy to operate, built to last, economically viable, and capable of producing excellent compost.

As a growing, family-owned business, we believe in investing in our people and creating a collaborative workplace where employees have the freedom to innovate, take ownership, and make a meaningful impact.

We value work-life balance, offering generous paid and unpaid time off and strong PTO benefits. Our comprehensive HSA healthcare package provides flexibility in healthcare spending. We also offer profit sharing and performance-based bonuses.

About You

• Passionate about sustainability, composting, and developing technology that makes a positive environmental impact.
• An experienced engineering leader who enjoys both strategic thinking and hands-on problem-solving.
• A systems thinker who sees opportunities to simplify designs, improve reliability, and reduce costs.
• An innovator who can translate creative ideas into practical, manufacturable, and commercially successful products.
• Comfortable leading and mentoring engineers while remaining actively involved in design and technical challenges.
• Calm under pressure, capable of making sound decisions with incomplete information.
• A proactive communicator who shares ideas, asks questions, challenges assumptions, and collaborates across departments.
• Highly organized, with the ability to balance long-term product development against immediate engineering and customer needs.
• Adaptable and willing to take on responsibilities outside your comfort zone in a small, growing company.

About the Role

As Chief Technology Officer at GMT, you will lead our engineering and technology development efforts, overseeing the design, improvement, and commercialization of our composting equipment and control systems.

You will play a central role in shaping GMT's future by developing innovative products, improving existing technologies, and ensuring our equipment remains reliable, cost-effective, and easy to manufacture, install, and operate.

This is a hands-on leadership position, combining the responsibilities of a senior engineer, product development leader, and technology executive. You will work closely with the President, production team, project managers, and technical staff to drive innovation while supporting the day-to-day engineering needs of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Full-time salaried position, based in Poulsbo, Washington, with regular in-person collaboration.
• Lead and manage GMT's engineering and product development efforts, including internal staff and external engineering resources.
• Develop and execute a long-term technology and product development roadmap aligned with company goals.
• Oversee the design and continuous improvement of composting equipment, including aeration systems, in-vessel composters, and control systems.
• Lead R&D initiatives from initial concept through prototyping, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization.
• Standardize and optimize product designs to improve manufacturability, reliability, installation efficiency, and cost competitiveness.
• Oversee engineering quality, technical calculations, drawings, documentation, and applicable regulatory compliance.
• Production management oversight to resolve manufacturing challenges, improve workflows, and reduce costs.
• Guide the development and integration of electrical, mechanical, and automated control systems.
• Support project managers and sales staff with technical design, equipment selection, troubleshooting, and complex customer requirements.
• Establish and continuously improve engineering processes, project management systems, and technical documentation.
• Develop and manage engineering budgets, project priorities, and technical team performance.
• Mentor technical staff and foster a collaborative culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Support technical work directly as needed, including design, troubleshooting, commissioning, and field evaluations.

Skills

Engineering and Product Development

• At least 7 years of engineering experience, preferably in mechanical, electrical, industrial, or electromechanical equipment design.
• Demonstrated experience developing products from concept through manufacturing and commercialization.
• Strong understanding of mechanical design, materials, manufacturing processes, and engineering fundamentals.
• Proficient in CAD software, engineering drawings, GD&T, and design for manufacturing and assembly.
• Experience with mechanical systems involving blowers, pumps, piping, hydraulics, pneumatics, or fluid dynamics.
• Ability to evaluate technical designs for performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost.
• Experience with prototyping, product testing, technical troubleshooting, and value engineering.

Leadership and Management

• At least 3 years of experience leading engineers, technical teams, or complex product development projects.
• At least 3 years managing production team and shops
• Comfortable delegating responsibilities, establishing priorities, and holding staff accountable.
• Experience managing multiple engineering projects, budgets, resources, and deadlines.
• Ability to develop a technology roadmap and translate strategic goals into actionable engineering priorities.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with production, sales, and project management teams.
• Willingness to make difficult decisions, provide constructive feedback, and support employee development.

Manufacturing and Systems Thinking

• Experience working directly with fabrication, manufacturing, and equipment assembly teams.
• Strong understanding of welding, machining, sheet metal fabrication, mechanical assembly, and industrial equipment.
• Ability to identify opportunities to simplify products, reduce parts counts, improve standardization, and lower manufacturing costs.
• Comfortable working with vendors and suppliers to evaluate components and improve product quality.
• A systems thinker who identifies recurring challenges and develops scalable solutions rather than temporary fixes.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and committed to maintaining accurate technical documentation.
• Interest in improving engineering productivity through automation, software, and emerging technologies.

Nice to Have

• Mechanical Engineering: Experience with 3D modeling software, creating and releasing drawing sets, GD&T principles and mechanical design.
• Controls and automation: Experience with programming, industrial control panels, instrumentation, remote monitoring, and industrial electrical systems.
• Electrical engineering: Ability to review electrical drawings, design control systems, and understand UL, NEC, and related industrial electrical standards.
• Software development: Experience developing or managing software products, particularly industrial automation, IoT, or cloud-based monitoring platforms.
• Process engineering: Experience with airflow, heat transfer, biological processes, process optimization, or industrial ventilation.
• Professional credentials: Professional Engineer (PE) license or advanced engineering degree.
• Business experience: Familiarity with product costing, technical sales, intellectual property, and commercializing new technologies.

What Success Looks Like

• New products and technologies are developed efficiently and successfully brought to market.
• Production team is well organized, products are built on time without mechanical issues, and inventory is tracked.
• Existing products become simpler, more reliable, easier to manufacture, and more cost competitive.
• Engineering projects are completed on schedule, within budget, and to a high technical standard.
• Production and field teams receive timely, practical engineering support.
• Engineering documentation, processes, and standards are consistent, organized, and scalable.
• GMT has a clear product development roadmap that supports business growth and long-term competitiveness.
• The engineering team is engaged, accountable, and continuously improving.

Compensation

$140,000 – 180,000 OTE, depending on experience.

Compensation includes competitive base salary, performance-based bonuses, profit sharing, paid time off, and HSA healthcare benefits.