Director, Ceramic Technology

At Utility, we’re reimagining what’s possible. Our breakthrough H2Gen® technology transforms undesirable industrial by-products into clean energy and sustainable fuels and feedstocks, helping hard-to-abate industries decarbonize without compromise. We’re building systems and solutions that will power a zero-carbon future by turning what the world doesn’t want into clean energy it needs most. But technology alone doesn’t change the world. We’re building a team as bold as our mission. Engineers and scientists, designers and operators, storytellers and strategists all united by a shared belief: that the undesirable can become invaluable, and that industrial decarbonization can be both practical and economical. At Utility, we see possibilities where others see limits. We believe progress happens when diverse minds collaborate toward a cleaner, smarter, more resilient world. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career, join us and help build what’s next. The Company Utility Global is redefining how the world makes and uses energy. Through its breakthrough H₂Gen® technology , Utility transforms industrial off-gases and biogases into clean energy and sustainable fuels and feedstocks, helping industries decarbonize without compromise . The company’s proprietary technology delivers a scalable, economic pathway to a zero-carbon future, positioning Utility as a leader in the industrial decarbonization revolution. The Role Utility Global is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director, Ceramic Technology to lead our Applied Technology ceramic development team in Englewood, Colorado. Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, this leader will set priorities, guide technical strategy, and develop the people, processes, and roadmap needed to advance ceramic materials and manufacturing technologies for high-temperature reactor components. The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in ceramic materials and processing with proven experience leading technical teams in fast-paced R&D, pilot-scale, or manufacturing environments. This person should be comfortable translating business and technology objectives into a clear team strategy, making disciplined tradeoffs, mentoring engineers and scientists, and ensuring experimental work leads to actionable decisions and scalable process improvements. This is a technical leadership role with accountability for both forward-looking ceramic technology development and practical manufacturing readiness. Experience in electrochemical systems is welcome, but strong leadership in ceramic materials, processing, characterization, scale-up, and technology transfer is more important than electrochemistry domain knowledge for this position. Key Responsibilities Lead, manage, and develop a team responsible for ceramic materials, bodies, coatings, and processes for high-temperature reactor components. Set technical priorities, allocate resources, and translate company objectives into a focused ceramic technology roadmap. Define and guide experimental strategy to improve performance, durability, manufacturability, quality, and cost. Oversee the translation of bench-scale ceramic development into robust pilot-scale and manufacturing-relevant processes. Build decision-making frameworks for powder handling, mixing, dispersion, rheology, forming, drying, thermal treatment, inspection, and related process steps. Partner cross-functionally with R&D, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and external partners to select, evaluate, and qualify ceramic materials and processes. Establish clear technical standards for testing, characterization, data analysis, documentation, and design reviews. Guide troubleshooting and root-cause investigations for process and equipment issues affecting quality, yield, consistency, and throughput. Support technology transfer and manufacturing readiness internally and with third-party production partners. Communicate strategy, progress, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations clearly to the CTO, leadership team, technical colleagues, and external stakeholders. Ensure team activities are conducted safely and in compliance with internal procedures and relevant standards. This role will focus primarily on building and leading a forward-looking ceramic technology function, with ongoing accountability for manufacturing support, technology transfer, and scale-up readiness across both in-house and third-party production. Qualifications Required Qualifications: BS in Ceramic Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field 8+ years of relevant industrial experience, including demonstrated leadership of technical teams; advanced degree preferred. Proven experience leading ceramic materials, processing, manufacturing development, or scale-up programs in an industrial environment. Demonstrated ability to manage, coach, and develop engineers, scientists, technicians, or cross-functional technical contributors. Hands-on familiarity with ceramic processing methods such as extrusion, slip casting, spray coating, isostatic pressing, tape casting, dip coating, gel casting, or related forming and coating processes. Strong working knowledge of relevant characterization techniques such as dilatometry, rheometry, particle size analysis, SEM, XRD, BET, porosimetry, TGA/DSC, mechanical testing, fractography, or digital image analysis. Experience applying DOE, statistical methods, root-cause analysis, process qualification, or similar tools to guide technical decisions and process improvement. Ability to communicate complex technical strategy, risks, and recommendations clearly to executive leadership and technical teams. Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional R&D environment with evolving priorities and high ambiguity. Preferred Qualifications: MS or PhD in Ceramic Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field. Prior ownership of a ceramic technology roadmap, platform development program, or multi-year scale-up initiative. Experience transferring technology from R&D into pilot-scale, internal manufacturing, or third-party manufacturing environments. Prior experience in aerospace, defense, structural ceramics, refractories, filtration, catalyst supports, thermal management, nuclear materials, or other advanced ceramic manufacturing environments. Experience establishing technical governance, design review processes, quality gates, or process qualification methods for complex hardware or materials systems. Familiarity with high-temperature reactor systems, harsh-environment oxide materials, or electrochemical devices. $200,000 - $250,000 a year What Will Help Someone Succeed in This Role A leader who can balance strategic direction with practical engagement in technical details, equipment, data, and team problem-solving. A disciplined, quantitative mindset that turns ambiguous technical problems into clear priorities, experiments, and decisions. The ability to build structure without creating bureaucracy, especially in an environment where processes are still being developed, refined, and scaled. A collaborative leadership style that aligns R&D, manufacturing, external partners, and executive leadership around the highest-impact technical work. #J-18808-Ljbffr Utility