Head of Epitaxy Program

Antora Energy delivers affordable, reliable energy to industry, data centers, and the grid. Our thermal batteries turn low-cost electricity into always-on heat and power, without supply-constrained critical minerals or multi-year construction timelines.

We are growing our company with people who put team and mission first, value connection through laughter and joy, and work with humility and openness. We are committed to building a diverse, passionate, and creative team dedicated to a future powered by abundant, clean, low-cost energy.

Antora is seeking a well-rounded, high-initiative leader with deep subject-area expertise in III-V MOCVD epitaxial growth on InP substrates to lead the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) epitaxy program end-to-end. The role involves designing epitaxy development campaigns and managing the external suppliers who execute them. This requires deep knowledge of epitaxy and materials, designs of experiment, characterization techniques, data analysis, and investigative skills. The role also requires exceptional soft skills to manage supplier relationships, provide clear instructions, negotiate timelines, pricing, and deliverables, and to work through technical and commercial issues with suppliers that arise in the course of the work. Lastly, this individual will drive the epitaxy development strategy to maximize learning speed while controlling cost. This includes driving the make-vs-buy decision on vertically integrating epitaxy R&D.

This is a unique role with the ability to shape the success of the entire TPV program, the technology at the heart of Antora’s differentiating heat-to-power conversion approach. The role reports to Antora’s Head of Heat-to-Power.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead multijunction TPV epitaxy development. Drive the design and development of multijunction III-V TPV device epitaxy to meet electrical, optical, and cost targets. This especially includes tunnel junctions, quaternary absorbers, quantum wells, fast growth rates, etc.

• Own technical and commercial epitaxy supplier management. Design and communicate experimental epitaxy campaigns; establish consistent calibration routines and repeatable processes; maintain data-driven specifications; negotiate timelines and pricing with suppliers; submit RFQs and POs; and manage campaign learning cycles in coordination with the device fabrication team, including data analysis and coordination of supplementary characterization (SIMS, SEM, TEM, etc.).

• Drive the make-vs-buy decision for in-house epitaxy capability. Lead this decision to a leadership-ready recommendation.

• If "make," lead facility requirements and leasing, own reactor selection and acquisition, coordinate with facilities and supply chain teams on execution, lead technical staffing, and maintain CapEx/Opex models.

• If "buy," demonstrate the viability of scaling learning-cycle rate through external partners.

• Qualify new epitaxy suppliers. Identify, engage, and qualify new epitaxy suppliers to access new capabilities, reduce supply chain risk, and increase the pace of development.

• Manage the InP substrate supply chain. Own supplier relationships and negotiate specifications and pricing to ensure substrate supply does not bottleneck epitaxial development.

Key Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in materials science, electrical engineering, applied physics, or related field, or equivalent experience.

• 8+ years of hands-on epitaxy (esp. MOCVD) experience with arsenide/phosphide III-V materials grown on InP substrates.