Chief Technology Officer

Company Description
At PHŌS, we believe the most important vehicles aren't the fastest or the loudest; they're the ones that keep the world running quietly in the background. We're redefining what that vehicle can be.

PHŌS Mobility is a solar-powered, intelligent low-speed vehicle platform built on a patent-pending modular architecture. For commercial operators, that means one platform that adapts to multiple jobs, manages itself, and consolidates fleet needs that once required buying several single-purpose vehicles. The result: lower costs, longer operational lifespans, and real-time intelligence across the fleet. We believe fleet vehicles deserve the same intelligence, craftsmanship, and environmental consideration as any other vehicle. At PHŌS, we are committed to building vehicles that serve the evolving demands of modern mobility.

Role Description
PHŌS is searching for a co-founder and CTO who is ready to build something that matters. This is a founding role for someone who thinks in systems, builds with intention, and understands that how something performs and how it feels are equally important. You'll own all technical decisions: vehicle engineering, solar integration, OS architecture, and prototype development. You won't inherit a technical roadmap or optimize an existing platform, you’ll create it, and build alongside a founder that believes the best vehicles are built to meet customer needs. If you don’t fit the exact profile listed below and are interested, reach out anyways; we’d love to chat.

Key Responsibilities

• Own all vehicle engineering and design decisions from architecture through prototype
• Lead CAD, structural design, and materials selection with a core focus on modularity and sustainability
• Translate the patent-pending modular architecture into a buildable, manufacturable physical system
• Drive the full prototype built process: vendor selection, BOM, and contract manufacturing
• Establish and manage relationships with fabrication partners, suppliers, and testing facilities
• Build in contingency and manage hardware risk proactively
• Oversee and define energy architecture for solar energy routing and management
• Own the technical vision and roadmap for the PHŌS vehicle OS
• Direct and oversee software engineers and technical contractors
• Support fundraising efforts by owning the technical story and validating the engineering roadmap – from investor due diligence and prototype demonstrations, to strategic partner conversations

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in automotive, EV, or electric mobility hardware
• Demonstrated experience with vehicle design, systems integration, and prototype development – you have shipped a real product
• Strong mechanical engineering foundation with working knowledge of vehicle dynamics, powertrain systems, and structural design
• Experience working in a startup or similar resource-constrained environment
• Ability to own a full BOM, manage vendor relationships, drive prototype to completion, and DFM
• Familiarity with LSV or EV regulations and compliance requirements, or willingness to get up to speed quickly
• Proven ability to lead technical conversations with investors, partners, and our non-technical stakeholders
• A collaborative builder: you communicate openly, embrace uncertainty as part of the process, and are comfortable iterating and going back to the drawing board as necessary

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Familiarity with solar or energy systems, photovoltaic integration, or vehicle-level energy management
• Industrial or automotive design background in addition to mechanical engineering; candidates who think simultaneously about how the vehicle looks, feels, and functions, are strongly preferred
• Familiarity with embedded systems, CAN bus architecture, or vehicle OS development at the directional level
• Knowledge of modular platform/product architecture
• Prior co-founder or early founding team experience

Location & Compensation

• Location: Washington DC or New York City areas preferred. Remote work with travel as needed during the prototyping phase. Expect on-site presence with manufacturing and fabrication partners as the build progresses.
• Compensation: This is a founding equity role. PHŌS is pre-seed and pre-revenue, and we are honest about that. Compensation is structured as a competitive co-founder equity stake in a company being built from the ground up with a clear path to scale. Salary compensation will scale as the company raises capital. If you're motivated by building something meaningful and owning a piece of it, we want to talk.

Equal Opportunity & Inclusion
PHŌS Mobility is an equal opportunity company, and we mean that. We’re more interested in who you are and what you’ve built than whether your resume fits an exact template. We believe the best teams are built from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and experiences, and we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable state or federal law. If you're close to this profile but not a perfect match on every point, reach out anyway.