Job description

The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time—but it’s also the greatest opportunity for innovation, and a challenge we’re proud to take on. At Overstory, we’re harnessing cutting-edge technology to enable a resilient electrical grid that keeps communities thriving as our world changes.

The grid is the backbone of life as we know it. It powers hospitals, keeps food fresh, and ensures communities stay connected. But extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and growing wildfire risks are putting this critical system under pressure. All of this combined makes the electric utility industry the greatest opportunity for tackling climate change.

One of the leading causes of catastrophic wildfires and power outages? Trees and brush coming into contact with power lines.

That’s where we help. At Overstory, we use AI and advanced satellite imagery to pinpoint and prioritize vegetation risks before they materialize. By giving utilities critical analysis on those risks, we’re helping prevent outages, reduce wildfire risks, and accelerate the transition to a safer, more resilient grid.

Our team spans the Americas and Europe, and we work with utility partners across the Americas and beyond. We’re outdoor enthusiasts, musicians, artists, athletes, parents, and adventurers. What unites us is a passion for solving complex problems, a commitment to climate action, and the belief that technology should be a force for good.

Join us to help us build a more resilient world together.

The Role

As the CTO of Overstory, you will lead and scale a world-class engineering team that reduces the risk of wildfires and power outages around the world. This is a rare opportunity for a seasoned engineering leader to help guide a commercially successful climate-tech company through its next stage of growth.

Following our Series B, we’re entering a phase of rapid expansion. You will define a compelling technical strategy and build the team to deliver it. This role requires someone who can zoom in and out seamlessly — rolling up your sleeves to solve complex technical problems while also communicating effectively with the board.

Our product sits at the intersection of AI and remote sensing — fields evolving at light speed. The work is exciting, mission-driven, and core to transforming the electric utility industry and creating a more resilient grid. But it comes with ambiguity. We’re looking for someone energized by the unknown, eager to build products customers love through bold, creative approaches. You must be comfortable balancing the needs of a growing business with building scalable solutions for the future — and be ready to move with urgency on both.

Time zone requirement: Europe (GMT/WET, CET) and Eastern United States (EST)

What A Successful Candidate Looks Like

You’re an entrepreneurial startup leader with a track record of leading engineering teams from Series A through Series C and beyond with a mix of boldness and empathy. You understand the ups and downs that are normal at VC-backed startups. You know how to inspire global teams with an exciting vision while offering them the hands-on support to bring it to life.

You have a strong network to tap, and you are bold in your recruiting. You’re not afraid to hire people who know more than you and to stretch for top talent, and you understand that recruiting is a top priority that requires constant networking and attention. You will build a diverse team that has a high-performing, inclusive, and caring culture.

What You’ll Do

Lead the development of all of Overstory’s technology, including our software product, our ML models, the internal tools we use and the platform that underlies it all.
Work in close partnership with our VP Product & Strategy to propel the business forward with the product we are developing. You’ll work to deeply understand our customers' problems so that you can lead bold engineering initiatives to solve them.
Build a high-performing and diverse engineering team that works remotely from multiple countries, and across multiple time zones.
Create a compelling technical vision and translate that into a strategy for the next 12-36 months.
Lead highly productive cross-functional teams that ship a high-quality product on a daily basis.
Foster an inclusive culture where everyone can do their best work.
Create strong lines of communication within your team and partnerships with other key parts of the business.

About You

Traits we value:

Boldness: You’re not afraid to make hard decisions and take risks, and you always act with urgency.
Mission-driven: You care deeply about building great products that help communities adapt to climate change by creating a more resilient electrical grid.
Empathy: You can attract and develop a diverse team, and you are inclusive in your approach to leadership.
Listening: You lead with inquiry. You make people on your own team and across the company feel heard.
Curiosity: Learning excites you, and you’re not afraid to admit what you don’t know.
Clarity: You’re a simplifier, not a complicator, and you can communicate clearly to a broad audience without using jargon.
Collaborative spirit: Team above ego, and you’re never afraid to get your hands dirty.

Experience we value:

You have managed a team of 70+ people.
You have been on a VC-backed startup journey from Series A through Series C or later, and you know how to scale a team successfully through those transitions. You value the entrepreneurial “get it done fast” spirit of the early days, while also setting a standard for excellence that will scale to later stages.
You have experience working on a complex, ML-based product. Bonus points for geospatial or remote sensing experience.
You have a deep understanding of software development processes and are product-centric in the way you think about building technology.
You have experienced the value of cross-functional teams where engineering, product and design work side-by-side.
You have managed remote teams.
You have managed global teams.

What We Offer

Competitive, location-specific compensation and benefits
Flexible, autonomous and collaborative working environment rooted in trust - we build our work days around our lives, not the other way around
Home office stipend, coworking and ongoing education budgets
A company culture that genuinely embodies each of our core values
To be part of truly mission-driven work that reduces wildfires, protects earth’s natural resources and helps solve our climate crisis

About Our Team

We are a fast-growing team of about 100 people from all over the world. Fifteen nationalities are represented and at last count we speak fourteen languages: English, Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Luxembourgish, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Estonian, and Afrikaans.

We work remotely from eleven countries and are looking for candidates that are living and working in one of them: United States, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Estonia, Portugal, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada. We gather once a year in-person for our unforgettable team gathering event. We also offer the option to occasionally meet up for in-person collaboration.

Diversity & Inclusion

The climate crisis is a human crisis that requires diverse perspectives to solve.

We place enormous value on diversity and believe that the best ideas emerge when people with different backgrounds and experience work together. We remain committed to scaling a team that reflects the communities we serve, and strive to uphold equitable and inclusive practices across every aspect of our business. We are responsible for creating and maintaining a culture where everyone - regardless of background - has a voice in building a sustainable future.

Our Values

Tackling the climate crisis is our greatest mission.

We act with urgency.

Our curiosity fuels our growth.

We recognize that change is constant, and we find joy and power in exploration.

We’re rooted in diversity.

Just as ecosystems need biodiversity to thrive, our resiliency comes from our differences.

We care for each other.

We love the power of machines but we nurture each other as humans.

Trust is fundamental.

We assume the best in everyone, and we share ideas openly so that we have a positive impact.

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Use of AI in Our Hiring Process

We sometimes use AI tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as helping us manage applications more efficiently or ensuring job descriptions are clear and inclusive. All hiring decisions are always made by people, not machines. Any data processed by AI is handled securely in line with GDPR and our Privacy Notice.

Chief Technology Officer at overstory | AI Job Board