Job Opening for Chief of Staff in LiquidPiston. (1292a Blue Hills Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002)

A growing startup is seeking a right-hand person (or possibly 2) to assist the CEO.

The person(s) will work very closely with the CEO and assist in executing tasks, negotiating legal documents, sourcing and overseeing, etc. In essence, your job will be to free up as much of the CEO’s time as possible, so the CEO can focus on strategic initiatives. We don’t have a perfect title for the role. Nor do we have a perfect job description. At present, all of these tasks are handled by the CEO with assistance from others in the team. You might call this role the “Chief of Stuff”, which incorporates elements of Director of Operations; general counsel; lead negotiator, CFO, and Chief of Staff.

LiquidPiston is reimagining power solutions, based on its novel rotary combustion engine architecture and patented thermodynamic cycle. The company develops engines, generators, auxiliary power units, hybrid drives, and other power conversion systems. The company has been developing technology for over a decade and is now poised to transition toward the commercialization and industrialization of its technology. We just closed a $17M Reg A equity crowdfunding offering, and are on the verge of closing $20M in government contracts. We will be growing and expanding to a new location in the Boston metro area as we transition from a pure research company to an operating company with low volume production capability to serve defense and aerospace customers.

The main company facility is located in Bloomfield CT with a staff of 20 employees, 18 of whom are engineers or technicians. We are opening a headquarters in the Boston Metro area (probably along the 95/128 corridor, between Waltham and Peabody). For this role, you will be expected in either the CT or MA location at least 3 days per week (5/wk preferred), and sometimes you may travel between the two locations. Being based in North Boston is preferred for this role, but the Hartford area will be considered as well.

The job description is loosely defined, and it’s probably too much for one person to fit the bill. IF you think you can help, send us a cover letter and your resume and let us know what interests you about the job and how you think you can help, and be clear about what you think you can take on, vs what you think we should outsource or fill with another complementary role. We are ultimately flexible for the right person.

Chief of staff, Director of Operations, General Counsel, and Chief of Finance:

Preferred degrees:
JD or MBA;
A mechanical engineering degree or inclination doesn’t hurt.

Preferred experience:

As Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff, Director of Operations, CFO, General Counsel, or CFO. Experience with a startup is strongly preferred. Experience with defense or aerospace applications is encouraged.

The Role (Please note on your application which you feel strongest in, we may divide this into multiple sub-roles, or hire consultants in some areas):

Sourcing and overseeing:
Accounting and Finance
Interface for the company, company accountants, and auditor to ensure timely completion of the compliant audit
hire an auditor, if/as needed
hire an accountant, if/as needed
Assist in the drafting of financial statements for public release
The company has recently closed a $17M Reg A crowdfunding offering, which requires annual and semi-annual financial reporting to maintain SEC compliance
Operations
example: source and hire a local electrician;
scout and find real estate to help us open our new Boston location;
source and architect and get quotes to modify the building
source and oversee an IT “person” or shop
Are you familiar with NIST 800-171? no? then research it, and figure out how to get compliant!
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines (or figure out how to get or maintain compliance).

Reviewing legal contracts
Review, edit, flag concerns, negotiate:
NDA’s
Government contracts
Terms and conditions
Supply chain contracts (sometimes we are a buyer; sometimes we are a seller; either way we need to negotiate a contract acceptable to all parties).
Our prior contracts have taken 4 months to negotiate. How to reduce this to 2 months? What are the real issues that we spend our time on?
My Legal bills have been growing exponentially, so bringing some of our general legal needs in-house will be great.

Negotiating:
Job offers – salary/stock comp
New lease
Software renewals
Purchases

Finance:
Fundraising & investor management
Support CEO/Mgmt in developing financial plans, models, and investor pitch deck material
Maintain investor cap table
Respond to investor inquiries, issues
Manage transfer agent, other 3rd party services
Act as LPI point person in preparing Investor updates, distributing updates and other information to investors
The right candidate will work closely with the CEO to figure out what needs to get done, and then figure out how to do it. This is an incredibly important role for the organization that is making its transition toward being an operating business. The role will fluctuate over time, but the right candidate will be focused on execution regardless of the task at hand.

To apply – please send a cover letter and resume.

Thank you!

About LiquidPiston.:

Based in Bloomfield, CT, LiquidPiston, Inc. is an MIT rooted R&D company poised to transform ten years of breakthrough thermodynamics research into the world’s most efficient and compact rotary Diesel engine. The company is funded by a mix of Venture Capital as well DARPA and Army Rapid Innovation Awards. The company is small, but has a big vision to transform combustion engines and hybrid electric applications as we know them.