Chief Operating Officer

Role overview

YPlasma is seeking a senior operator with deep experience in electronics and hardware to help transform a breakthrough cooling technology into a product that can be manufactured and delivered at scale. The business is commercializing solid-state ionic wind cooling based on Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma actuators, a flexible film that can be laminated onto a heat-generating surface to move air silently, without mechanical parts, and with much lower energy use than a conventional fan.

The company’s initial focus is thermal management for Edge AI, where increasing heat output from NPUs and SoCs is creating a product-design bottleneck across AI PCs, laptops, robotics, industrial gateways, and on-device inference systems. YPlasma has already validated the technology at lab and pilot scale, started joint-development work, signed pilots with Tier-1 silicon vendors and OEMs, and operates R&D labs in Madrid and Newark, New Jersey. Backed by deep-tech investors including SOSV / HAX and FABER, the company is now moving from technical validation to industrial execution.

Why this position exists

The next phase is centered on manufacturing, operations, and scale-up rather than core research. YPlasma needs a COO who has taken an electronic hardware product from prototype to high-volume production, can partner technically with engineering on power electronics and manufacturing decisions, and can build the operating system that turns design wins into shipped products and revenue. This is a founder-level leadership role, working closely with the CEO to shape how the company operates and how the product reaches market.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the actuator film and high-voltage converter from current readiness into production-ready, manufacturable offerings.
• Own the transfer to manufacturing partners, including dielectric film and power-electronics vendors, and establish NPI, design-for-manufacturability, quality systems, and qualification plans covering HALT/HASS, reliability, EMC, FCC, CE, and any required sector approvals.
• Act as a strong technical peer to the engineering team on power electronics, high-voltage drive circuits, materials, and integration decisions, bringing enough depth to challenge assumptions and reduce risk.
• Build and manage supply chain, sourcing, cost structure, quality controls, and the operating cadence needed to move from pilot programs to volume production.
• Own unit economics, bill of materials cost reduction, and the path to healthy gross margin.
• Work with the CEO and customers to run joint-development efforts and OEM design-in cycles, converting thermal requirements into integration kits and commercial structures such as licensing and supply agreements.
• Create and lead a cross-geography operations function, establish business rhythms, and implement the processes, hiring plan, and reporting structure needed for a fast-moving deep-tech startup.

What we are looking for

This role is specifically for someone whose background is in electronics or hardware. Relevant experience may come from consumer electronics, semiconductors, power electronics, electronic components, EMS / ODM, or a similar hardware environment.

The ideal candidate has at least 10 years of operating experience in hardware or electronics, with senior leadership responsibility such as VP Operations, COO, VP Manufacturing, VP Engineering, GM, or an equivalent role. You should have personally industrialized at least one physical electronic product from prototype through DFM and into volume production. Experience with contract manufacturing, NPI, electronic supply chains, quality systems, reliability, and certification is essential. A working grasp of power electronics, and especially high-voltage systems, is important so you can make credible technical tradeoffs with the engineering team. Experience with Tier-1 OEMs or silicon vendors, along with long design-in cycles, is strongly valued.

You should be comfortable operating in an early-stage deep-tech setting with uncertainty, pace, and resource constraints. Prior experience founding, joining early, or scaling a hardware startup is helpful, though a strong willingness to step into that environment also fits. Fluency in English is required; Spanish is an advantage. The role also requires willingness to travel between company labs, partners, and customers.

Bonus experience

• Exposure to thermal management, cooling, HVAC, or related physical systems.
• Experience scaling production with Tier-1 partners in film, materials, or power electronics.
• Background in robotics, automotive electronics, data-center hardware, or aerospace.
• Previous successful scale-up or exit in a hardware business.

What the company offers

• A founder-level position with meaningful equity and real ownership in a deep-tech company addressing a major industry problem.
• A differentiated, IP-protected technology platform rather than an incremental product improvement.
• A compact, senior, highly technical team with roots in INTA, Princeton, and Tier-1 industry.
• The opportunity to define how a category-creating cooling technology is commercialized and to build the operation that delivers it.

Application details

Interested candidates are asked to send a brief note explaining why the role is a fit, together with a LinkedIn profile or CV, and to share an example of an electronic product they took into volume production plus what challenges arose during the process.

Equal opportunity statement

YPlasma states that it is an equal opportunity employer and evaluates applicants based on capability and drive, welcoming people from all backgrounds.