Head of Research and Engineering

Head of Research and Engineering | Harwell, Oxfordshire | Highly Competitive + Equity

This is technical authority in full: system architecture, experimental direction, and the judgement calls that determine where the programme goes next.

IONECH is a seed-stage energy hardware start-up based at Harwell, Oxfordshire. We're developing the Air Voltaic (AV) Cell — an energy-harvesting device that uses controlled interactions between electrons and oxygen in air to capture subtle natural differences in the environment, converting available exergy into electrical power. At scale, it sits at the base of the energy stack: a platform power source that reduces grid dependence across virtually every electrical use case.

Candidates who tend to do well here come from deep tech start-ups and industrial R&D environments; places where hardware has to work under real constraints, technical decisions carry real consequences, and there's no room for conclusions the data doesn't support. Experience using AI tools to accelerate hardware development cycles, surface failure modes early, and maintain momentum without sacrificing rigour is something we're actively looking for.

The role

This is not a desk-based leadership position. You will be embedded in the laboratory, shaping and running experiments, reviewing data, resolving cross-disciplinary conflicts, and driving rapid iteration from hypothesis to hardware. You will own the system-level architecture, including the interface definitions across emission, chemical, thermal, electrical, and vacuum subsystems; and you will maintain the formal system energy ledger that keeps science and engineering accountable to each other.

You will report directly to the Managing Director and retain day-to-day authority over architecture and experimental decisions.

System architecture and integration

• Own and maintain system-level architecture, including clear interface definitions across emission, chemical, thermal, electrical, and vacuum subsystems
• Maintain and continuously reconcile a formal system energy ledger integrating modelling, experimental data, and hardware constraints
• Ensure all subsystem developments align with coherent system-level objectives

Experimental direction and technical judgement

• Define the shortest credible path from hypothesis to physical test
• Lead structured experimental planning with explicit success criteria and validation methods
• Ensure experiments isolate variables and test system-level hypotheses, not just component performance
• Make clear and timely calls on when to pivot, refine, or terminate technical avenues

Rapid prototyping and iteration

• Establish and lead a fast-cycle build-test-learn process
• Drive pragmatic prototype development focused on learning velocity and controlled validation
• Ensure prototypes are instrumented appropriately for defensible performance measurement
• Balance momentum with rigour, avoiding both over-modelling and premature optimisation
• Lead the transition of the technology through technical readiness levels, maintaining momentum throughout

Technical leadership

• Lead a small multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers
• Create clarity in roles, ownership, and accountability across science and engineering functions
• Foster a culture of rigorous empiricism, intellectual honesty, and rapid iteration

What we're looking for

You'll need:

• A Master's degree (or equivalent experience) in physics, engineering, materials science, electrochemistry, or a closely related discipline
• Proven ability to translate complex scientific concepts into functioning experimental hardware
• Strong thermodynamic literacy and comfort working with system-level energy balances
• A track record of successful rapid, iterative hardware development: short build-test-learn cycles, comfort with early-stage failure as a data source, and the judgement to know when something is good enough to move forward
• Experience delivering functioning hardware systems under real-world constraints, not solely research-grade laboratory demonstrations
• Experience exercising technical judgement under uncertainty and making high-stakes direction calls
• Experience leading and managing small technical teams

You'll stand out if you have:

• A PhD in physics, engineering, materials science, electrochemistry, or a closely related discipline
• Hands-on experience with electron field emission, cold cathode systems, high-field environments, or vacuum electronics
• Experience in electrochemistry, reactive oxygen species environments, or related surface and chemical systems
• Experience with high-voltage power electronics or pulsed power systems
• Demonstrated experience integrating multidisciplinary hardware systems spanning thermal, electrical, vacuum, and chemical domains

What we offer

• Highly competitive salary
• Equity — you share in what we're building
• Private medical healthcare
• Company pension
• Flexible, trust-based working culture
• A well-equipped lab at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus — a serious technical environment with the infrastructure to match the ambition
• Direct line to the MD and genuine influence over the technical direction of the company

How to apply

Send your CV and a covering letter (one page maximum) explaining why this problem interests you and which parts of your experience are most relevant to the essential criteria.

We read every application. We don't use screening software.