Chief Technology Officer

Chief Technology Officer
Porto
Porto, Porto District, Portugal

CTO – Agri
Tech Start-up (Portugal)

Are you a
- on robotics leader who wants to build a
- defining product that transforms agriculture?

A
- growing
- stage Agri
Tech startup is looking for a
- on CTO to lead the development of a
- first AI-powered autonomous sprayer for berry tunnels and greenhouse crops.

This is a rare opportunity to take a validated prototype (TRL-4) and transform it into a certifiable, scalable, manufacturable platform (TRL-6), while building and leading the engineering team that will bring it to market.

The right candidate will thrive in a
- moving,
- impact environment, enjoy being
- on with robotics code as much as defining the technical strategy, and want to make a tangible difference in sustainable agriculture.

What you’ll be doing:

Own full system architecture: autonomy, perception, AI disease detection, spraying systems, software, and firmware

Hands-on development in autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments

Design and implement localisation and mapping (SLAM, visual odometry, Li
DAR fusion); and integrate
- sensor setups (Li
DAR, cameras, IMUs, To
F, ultrasonic)

Build and maintain motion planning, trajectory generation, and
- following systems

Develop and manage robot control architectures (ROS2, NAV2,
- time systems)

Take the system through certification: CE Machinery Regulation, ISO 25119/18497 compliance

Build and manage a multidisciplinary team of robotics, AI, mechanical, and electronics engineers

Lead field validation, reliability testing, and industrialisation

Contribute to patent strategy and IP generation and define the technical roadmap, milestones, and quality standards

What we’re looking for:

6+ years in robotics engineering; 3+ years in a senior/lead role

Hands-on experience with autonomous robots in
- structured environments (Agri
Tech is ideal)

Strong ROS2,
- time control, autonomy, perception, and coding skills (C++, Python)

Experience shipping complex robotic systems from prototype → field → manufacturing

Start-up experience or entrepreneurial mindset

Passion for sustainable agriculture and building
- driven technology

Why this role:

5–8% ESOP + salary.

Opportunity to shape the technical direction of a
- driven startup

Lead a
- moving, multidisciplinary engineering team

HQ in Porto, Portugal.

Apply now to be at the forefront of a
- edge Agri
Tech startup.