VP Technology (Chemistry)

Syntetica was founded in 2023 by Marco Bertone (LSE, former Head of Growth at Selency) and Louis Monsigny (PhD). Our mission is ambitious : to decarbonise the textile industry by eliminating fossil-based materials from the production of synthetic textiles. We have developed a groundbreaking technological process that recycles synthetic textile waste, starting with nylon.

Since its inception, Syntetica has achieved remarkable milestones :

• Secured €4.2M in funding from prestigious investors, including EQT Ventures, the family offices of Peugeot Family Office and the Etam Group, and athletes such as Paul-Henri Mathieu and Jean-Éric Vergne to accelerate growth and build a pre-industrial facility.
• Forged key partnerships with major textile players such as Etam, Victoria's Secret, and major fast fashion & sportswear brands
• Assembled a core team of 11 experts, over half of whom hold PhDs in chemistry.

Syntetica is now seeking a VP Technology to help more than double the technical team to drive the strategy & technical execution of our ambitious R&D objectives.

Your role at Syntetica

As our VP Technology , you will work alongside Louis, the CTO and Marco, the CEO. You will play a critical, hands-on role in our leadership team, driving the strategy & technical execution of our R&D objectives. This is a dynamic, fast-paced position requiring an individual who thrives in an early-stage environment and can balance strategic thinking with technical day-to-day problem-solving. The successful candidate will lead efforts to optimise and scale our chemical recycling process, ensuring speed and precision in achieving technical milestones.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Team Management :

• Develop and execute an R&D strategy that aligns with scaling timelines and company objectives.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage a highly effective team of researchers, engineers and technicians, fostering a dynamic, collaborative, and execution-focused team culture.
• Maintain a strong focus on delivering tangible results within tight deadlines.

Technical Project Management :

• Organise, drive and optimise the different work streams and resource allocations in order to ensure we meet our R&D objectives.
• Key objectives include the production of high quality nylon monomers & polymers alongside the optimisation & scaling of our proprietary chemical process.

Performance Management :

• Establish protocols for collecting and analysing data ensuring technical accuracy of information collected with the right analysis equipment, tools and software.
• Develop processes & benchmarks in order to analyse data and results coming out of different work streams, identify bottlenecks and propose actionable solutions.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication :

• Communicate our R&D strategy throughout the organisation seamlessly including cross functionally with the engineering & product teams
• Work closely with the CTO, CEO and COO to ensure technical progress aligns with commercial & operational needs.

What we're looking for

Background

• Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field; expertise in organic chemistry is important.
• 10+ years of experience in R&D roles with leadership positions (e.g. CTO, Head of R&D, VP R&D) in startups or fast-paced environments.
• Proven track record of hands-on process development and scaling in the chemical or materials industries.

Skills :

• Exceptional management skills : Proven experience in building and managing high-performing technical teams
• Data-driven & Analytical mindset : Data obsessed, including around collecting, analysing and decision making leveraging high quality data
• Excellent & fluent communication skills in English
• High energy, adaptability, and a bias for action.
• Great problem-solving skills and the ability to execute effectively under pressure.
• Mission-driven company : Play a pivotal role in decarbonising one of the most polluting industries globally.
• World-class team : Collaborate with a group of 10 passionate and brilliant experts growing to 25 by the end of the year
• Cutting-edge technology : Syntetica is revolutionising nylon recycling with a unique chemical depolymerisation process, enabling the recycling of mixed textiles in a €35 billion global market.
• Hypergrowth startup : Following our €4.2M funding round, we plan to more than double our team within a year, including tripling our technical team.