Founding CTO (OT & Edge Hardware)

Founding Chief Technology Officer / Principal Systems Architect (OT & Edge Hardware)

• Company: Protocol Infrastructure B.V.
• Location: Remote. Must be located in the EU/UK. Occasional travel to Amsterdam. No VISA sponsorship.
• Compensation (Phase 1): Competitive monthly retainer
• Compensation (Phase 2): Full market-rate executive salary + Executive Option Pool grant

The Mandate

Commercial real estate is shifting from human-exclusive spaces to autonomous-ready environments. However, physical building Operational Technology (OT) remains closed, fragmented, and structurally unequipped for multi-vendor robotics fleets.

Protocol Infrastructure™ builds sovereign, hardwired edge infrastructure (Protocol OS™ / Protocol Gateway™) deployed directly on local building technical VLANs. We unify elevators, access barriers, and BMS networks under a single, vendor-neutral control standard, granting autonomous fleets sub-50ms physical access while maintaining absolute life-safety control for the landlord.

The Role & Venture Path

We are recruiting a Founding CTO to lead the hardware, software, and systems architecture of our physical edge platform.

Phase 1: Technical Lead & Architect (5–15 hrs/week | 3–6 Month Horizon)

• Mandate: Architect cloud clearinghouse APIs, publish our open-source developer SDK, write core Protocol OS™ edge software, and lead technical integrations with CRE Chief Engineers.
• Compensation: Competitive monthly retainer.

Phase 2: Full-Time Executive CTO

• Mandate: Scale engineering operations, oversee hardware manufacturing, and lead full deployment across portfolio cohorts.
• Compensation: Full market-rate executive salary + Executive Option Pool grant.
• Transition Trigger: Achievement of commercial deployment milestones.

Key Responsibilities

• Cloud & Developer Platform: Own the cloud API clearinghouse, open-source client SDKs, and local edge software builds, bridging cloud webhooks with hardwired building OT networks.
• Edge Architecture & OS: Own the physical gateway stack and local Linux edge software, managing embedded integration, local BACnet/IP extraction, and zero-trust network boundaries.
• GSI & Vendor Coordination: Manage technical work-order scopes, interface specifications, and alignment directly with incumbent GSIs (Siemens, SPIE, etc.) and elevator OEMs to ensure turnkey site execution.
• Technical Authority & Compliance: Lead technical alignments with Chief Engineers and CISOs, walking through our compliance dossier, proving zero-voltage risk, validating EN 81-73 / ASME A17.1 life-safety overrides, and satisfying ISO CG 40 47 risk management mandates.
• Manufacturing & Certifications: Oversee external panel-shop production, component sourcing, and third-party hardware compliance testing (CE, UL) with external engineering partners.

Candidate Profile

• Scale-Up Pedigree: Former VP of Hardware, Lead Systems Architect, or CTO at a connected hardware, robotics, smart access, or industrial IoT scale-up.
• Full-Stack & Systems Architecture: Fluency in cloud backend infrastructure (REST, WebSockets, microservices) and developer SDKs alongside embedded edge/OT systems.
• Deep OT & Hardware-Level Fluency: Mastery of physical building protocols (BACnet/IP, RS-485), relay logic, isolated VLANs, and industrial edge software builds.
• Proximity: Remote (EU / UK). Must be located within the EU or UK and willing to travel to Amsterdam for critical partner alignments. No VISA sponsorship.

About Protocol Infrastructure™

Protocol Infrastructure B.V. is the essential infrastructure layer for autonomous robotics in commercial real estate. We build sovereign, hardwired OT edge hardware (Protocol Gateway™) and operating software (Protocol OS™) that unifies elevators, speed gates, doors, and BMS networks under a single, vendor-neutral universal standard. By combining cloud API orchestration with localized, sub-50ms edge control, we enable Class-A asset owners to make their portfolios autonomous-ready while maintaining absolute operational and life-safety control.