Chief Technology Officer

About Overstory

The climate crisis is a monumental challenge and a profound opportunity for innovation. At Overstory, we are dedicated to building a resilient electrical grid using cutting-edge technology to ensure communities thrive amidst global changes. The electrical grid is vital, powering essential services from hospitals to homes. However, it faces increasing pressure from extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and escalating wildfire risks. Addressing these vulnerabilities presents the greatest opportunity for climate action.

A primary cause of catastrophic wildfires and power outages involves vegetation interfering with power lines. Overstory tackles this by employing AI and advanced satellite imagery to precisely identify and prioritize vegetation risks before they escalate. By providing utilities with critical, actionable analysis, we significantly help prevent outages, mitigate wildfire dangers, and accelerate the transition towards a safer, more resilient grid.

Our diverse team spans the Americas and Europe, collaborating with utility partners globally. We are a passionate group of outdoor enthusiasts, musicians, artists, athletes, parents, and adventurers, representing 15 nationalities and continually growing. We are united by our drive to solve complex problems, our commitment to climate action, and our belief in technology as a force for good. Join us to contribute to building a more resilient world.

The Chief Technology Officer Role

As the Chief Technology Officer at Overstory, you will be instrumental in leading and scaling a world-class engineering team focused on reducing wildfire and power outage risks worldwide. This is a unique chance for an experienced engineering leader to guide a successful climate-tech company through its rapid growth phase post-Series B funding. You will be responsible for defining an impactful technical strategy and building the team necessary to execute it.

This role demands a leader who can effortlessly transition between high-level strategic thinking and hands-on problem-solving, all while effectively communicating with the board. Our product integrates AI and remote sensing, fields experiencing rapid evolution. The work is inspiring, mission-driven, and crucial for transforming the electric utility industry and fostering a more resilient grid. While the path involves ambiguity, we seek someone invigorated by the unknown, eager to create beloved customer products through bold and creative solutions. You must skillfully balance immediate business needs with long-term scalable solutions, acting with urgency on both fronts.

What a Successful Candidate Looks Like

You are an entrepreneurial startup leader with a proven history of guiding engineering teams from Series A through Series C and beyond, demonstrating a blend of boldness and empathy. You understand the inherent challenges and opportunities within VC-backed startups. Your ability to inspire global teams with a compelling vision, coupled with providing hands-on support, is key to success.

You possess a strong professional network and are proactive in recruiting top talent, unafraid to hire individuals more knowledgeable than yourself. You recognize that recruiting is a paramount priority requiring continuous networking and attention. Your leadership will cultivate a diverse, high-performing, inclusive, and caring team culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of all Overstory’s technology, encompassing software products, ML models, internal tools, and the underlying platform.
• Collaborate closely with the VP Product & Strategy to drive business growth through innovative product development, deeply understanding customer problems to lead bold engineering solutions.
• Build a high-performing and diverse engineering team operating remotely across multiple countries and time zones.
• Formulate a compelling technical vision and translate it into a strategic roadmap for the next 12-36 months.
• Lead highly productive cross-functional teams, ensuring daily delivery of high-quality products and fostering an inclusive environment.
• Establish robust communication channels within your team and cultivate strong partnerships across the business.

About You

Traits we value:

• Boldness: You make decisive choices and take calculated risks, acting with urgency.
• Mission-driven: You are deeply committed to creating products that help communities adapt to climate change and build a resilient electrical grid.
• Empathy: You excel at attracting and developing diverse talent, leading with an inclusive approach.
• Listening: You lead with inquiry, ensuring your team and colleagues feel heard and valued.
• Curiosity: You are excited by learning and comfortable admitting what you don't know.
• Clarity: You simplify complex ideas and communicate clearly to diverse audiences without jargon.
• Collaborative spirit: You prioritize the team, readily engaging in hands-on work.

Experience We Value:

• Managed a team of 70+ people.
• Successfully scaled a VC-backed startup engineering team from Series A through Series C or later, balancing entrepreneurial speed with excellence.
• Experience with complex, ML-based products; geospatial or remote sensing experience is a strong plus.
• Deep understanding of software development processes and a product-centric approach to technology building.
• Demonstrated value of cross-functional team collaboration (engineering, product, design).
• Experience managing remote teams and global teams.

What Overstory Offers

• Contribute to truly mission-driven work focused on reducing wildfires, protecting natural resources, and addressing the climate crisis.
• Enjoy a flexible working environment with significant autonomy, structuring your work around your life.
• Benefit from a remote working budget, an educational budget, and dedicated time for skill development.
• Work alongside an excellent, vibrant, smart team committed to openness, tolerance, and respect.
• Receive competitive salary and equity.

Our Team & Culture

Our global team comprises 100 individuals from 15 nationalities, working remotely across eleven countries: United States, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Estonia, Portugal, France, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Canada. We organize an annual in-person team gathering and offer options for occasional collaborative meet-ups.

We highly value diversity and inclusion, striving to attract individuals of all genders, races, creeds, ethnicities, abilities, and backgrounds. We believe that diverse perspectives foster the best solutions. We are proud that 4 out of 9 leadership team members are female, 46% of the overall team are female, and 20% are people of color. Our team collectively speaks fifteen languages.

Our Values:

• Tackling the climate crisis is our greatest mission. We act with urgency.
• Our curiosity fuels our growth. We embrace constant change, finding joy and power in exploration.
• We’re rooted in diversity. Our resilience, like ecosystems, stems from our differences.
• We Care For Each Other. We leverage technology but nurture human connections.
• Trust is fundamental. We assume positive intent and share ideas openly for positive impact.

Use of AI in Our Hiring Process:

Overstory may utilize AI tools to enhance parts of our hiring process, such as efficient application management and ensuring clear, inclusive job descriptions. Rest assured, all hiring decisions are made by people, and any data processed by AI is handled securely in compliance with GDPR and our Privacy Notice.

Key skills/competency

• Engineering Leadership
• Technical Strategy
• Machine Learning
• Remote Sensing
• Software Development
• Team Scaling
• Product Management
• Climate Tech
• Geospatial Data
• Cross-functional Collaboration