What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief Scientist – Atmospheric Water Generation position at SkySpigot?
COMPENSATION IS INITIALLY EQUITY BASED AND AS FUNDING ALLOWS TRADITIONAL COMPONENTS - SALARY, BONUS, ETC. WILL BE ADDED TO COMPENSATION PACKAGE. MUST BE LOCATED AND LEGALLY AUTHORIZED TO WORK IN THE USA.
Keep your current job and work with us part-time or join us full-time. Academic or government lab workers and recent retirees encouraged to apply.
Company Overview:
SkySpigot is a pre-seed startup located in Durango, Colorado, USA that's on a mission to transform how the world gets its water. We’re not just building atmospheric water generators (AWGs)—we’re creating the most energy-efficient systems on the planet, pulling clean, potable water from thin air to solve global water scarcity. From homes to drought-stricken regions, farms to ranches, even dish washers to washing machines, our technology is poised to redefine sustainability. We are self-funded and currently engaged in research and development with the short-term goal of producing working prototypes and will be seeking strategic partnerships and external funding thereafter. We need a Chief Scientist who’s ready to lead this revolution with groundbreaking science and relentless innovation.
Our Founder and CEO, Mark Molinaro has spent his career in senior leadership roles and most recently had a mid-8-figure exit from his previous startup. Self-sufficiency, Authenticity, Imagination, Accomplishment, Understanding, Curiosity, Creativity and Effort are the values that guide everything he does.
Job Summary:
As Chief Scientist, you’ll be the mastermind behind the world’s most energy-efficient AWGs. You’ll spearhead R&D to slash energy inputs while maximizing water output, blending atmospheric science, thermodynamics, and cutting-edge materials into game-changing technology. This isn’t just a job—it’s a chance to rewrite the rules of water access. You’ll lead a lean, brilliant team, turning bold ideas into scalable solutions that disrupt the status quo.
Key Responsibilities:
Efficiency Obsession: Drive the scientific strategy to create AWGs that extract maximum water with minimal energy, setting new industry benchmarks.
Tech Breakthroughs: Innovate at the intersection of condensation physics, heat transfer, and energy systems.
Research Leadership: Design and run experiments to push performance limits, using real-world atmospheric data to optimize every watt.
Team Inspiration: Build and mentor a small, elite R&D crew that thrives on solving tough problems with smart science.
Practical Impact: Collaborate with engineers to turn lab wins into production-ready systems, ensuring every design scales and delivers.
Global Vision: Work with leadership to align R&D with our mission—democratizing water, making water abundant, sustainable, and accessible everywhere.
Voice of Authority: Publish findings, file patents, and shout our efficiency gospel at conferences to cement SkySpigot as the AWG leader.
Qualifications:
Education: Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, Physics, Chemical or Electrical Engineering, Materials Science or Aerospace Engineering.
Experience:
Creative, team player with 10 years in applied research. Hands-on wins in energy efficiency, thermodynamics, or water tech. AWG or meteorology experience is a bonus, but not a must—we want your brain, not your résumé’s exact match.
Skills / Traits:
Mastery of heat and mass transfer, fluid dynamics, and energy optimization. Comfort with tools like CHARMM, MATLAB, CFD, or lab prototyping. Ability to distill big ideas into lean, actionable tech. Tenacity and adeptness at "fail fast" approaches. Creative, and fired up by the idea of out-engineering the competition. Startup hustle, and a knack for renewable energy hacks. A desire to make atmospheric water generation insanely efficient. Highly motivated life-long learner. The ability to integrate into and work well in a team environment. Openness to investigate unpursued paths and the ability to develop mathematical models to provide insight as to their viability. Deftness in statistical mechanics, advanced calculus and linear algebra. Strong external network.
Why SkySpigot?
Lead a mission that changes lives—one drop at a time. Equity stake in a multi-trillion-dollar market. A team that’s all-in on making the impossible efficient.
