CTO & Co-founder (Robotics Automation)

OpenKrill; United States; On-site; USD 49,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in startup

Startup studio support

Job summary

Red Sky is seeking a CTO & Co-founder to co-build a robotics automation platform. This hands-on role focuses on designing, sourcing, and adapting hardware to unlock physical AI capabilities, aligning tech strategy with business goals, and building a high-performance hardware and engineering culture.

You will work closely with a commercial co-founder and lead a small robotics team, shaping the product roadmap and technology stack while driving rapid prototyping and scalable delivery in a remote,

Qualifications

• 3+ years leadership in robotics or deep-tech startups.
• 3+ years hands-on robotics hardware design, prototyping and integration.
• Experience delivering scalable physical automation solutions from scratch.
• Entrepreneurial mindset for early-stage startups.
• Fluent Polish and English (spoken and written).

Responsibilities

• Co-manage the company with the commercial co-founder and align technical strategy with business goals.
• Hands-on development & prototyping: integrate Physical AI with hardware.
• Drive hardware-software co-development workflows, CI/CD for robotics (firmware, ROS/ROS2).
• Define tech stack, architecture, and product scalability roadmap.
• Lead and mentor a small team of robotics engineers and recruit top talent.
• Translate customer feedback into robust technical requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Robotics engineering

Hardware design

Prototyping

ROS/ROS2

Embedded systems

Team mentoring

Tools

ROS/ROS2

Job description

Location: Remote / PLStage: Early-stage startupProduct: Robotics automation

About the roleWe are looking for a CTO & Co-founder to co-build a startup focused on developing a cutting-edge automation platform driven by physical AI and robotics. Together with your co-founder (commercial profile), you will form the core leadership team.This is a highly hands-on founder role, not a corporate executive position. As our resident technical robotics expert, you will be the primary builder in the early days, focusing heavily on designing, sourcing, and adapting the hardware required to unlock physical AI automation. You will play a pivotal role in transforming a bold vision into a functional, scalable product while shaping the company's hardware and technical strategy from the ground up.Working closely with our Lead Physical AI/Machine Learning Engineer, you will seamlessly integrate intelligent software with your hardware solutions to shape the final product. Your mission is to bridge complex robotics engineering and commercial viability, laying the foundation for a high-performing hardware and engineering culture as the company scales.

Your responsibilities

• Co-managing the company with the commercial co-founder and aligning technical strategy with business goals,
• Hands-on development & prototyping: Architecting and building the solutions specifically integrating Physical AI intelligence with physical hardware,
• Leveraging Physical AI models to drive process automation, optimizing operational efficiency in real-world, hardware-driven environments,
• Defining the tech stack, software/hardware architecture, and product scalability roadmap,
• Monitoring robotics, AI, and automation trends to maintain a competitive technological edge,
• Recruiting, leading, and mentoring a small, agile team of top-tier robotics engineering specialists (including mechanical engineers, mechatronics experts, and control systems engineers), while driving the physical AI strategy from the hardware side,
• Translating customer feedback and market needs into robust technical requirements,
• Creating an internal culture focused on code quality, ownership, rapid iteration, and high execution standards,
• Establishing rigorous hardware-software co-development workflows, CI/CD pipelines tailored for robotics (encompassing firmware,
• ROS/ROS2, and physical AI model deployment), simulation-to-real testing frameworks, and robust safety and data compliance standards.

Who we are looking for (must-have)

• At least 3+ years of leadership experience in robotics companies (e.g., Lead Robotics Engineer, Hardware Lead, Tech Lead, or CTO) or deep-tech startups),
• At least 3+ years of hands-on expertise in robotics engineering, with a strong focus on designing, prototyping, sourcing, and adapting hardware (mechatronics, kinematics, sensor integration, embedded systems, and control systems),
• Strong background in hardware and robotics engineering, with proven experience in building scalable physical automation solutions meeting customers' needs and deep-tech architecture from scratch,
• Entrepreneurial mindset - you understand that pragmatic execution, rapid physical prototyping, and shipping fast beat perfect, over-engineered systems in an early-stage setup,
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a knack for operating effectively in fast-paced, high-uncertainty environments,
• Fluent Polish and English (spoken and written).

Nice to have

• Understanding of Physical AI / Embodied AI, specifically the hardware requirements and challenges of bridging the gap between digital ML models and physical execution,
• Experience in the full AI/ML development pipeline, including data collection and processing, architecture design, training, and fine-tuning,
• Background in deep-tech, AI, or engineering-driven startups.

What we offer

• Co-founder role with real, equal influence over company direction and technical ownership,
• Opportunity to build and lead a robotics startup from scratch,
• Remuneration: at least PLN 17 000 net B2B + VAT,
• A package of shares in the co-created start-up,
• Support from an experienced startup studio and capital group,
• Access to industry experts and startup-building know-how,
• Fast decision-making and a high-impact environment.

Red Sky is conducting this recruitment process. The cooperation concerns a newly established start-up.

Recruitment process

• Interview with HR (~45 min)
• Tech Interview (~ 60 min.)
• Technical task
• Interview with the Investor (~45 min)
• Agreeing on the terms of cooperation (remuneration)