VP or Head of Subsurface & Geomechanics

Are you driven by understanding how the Earth actually behaves under extreme conditions? Do you believe the future of geothermal energy depends on mastering rock mechanics, stress, and fracture?

At Telura, we’re developing the next-generation drilling system which uses ultra-high-voltage electro-impulses to fracture hard rock, essentially “destroying with lightning”, to enable economically viable drilling beyond today's hotspots and unlock affordable baseload energy anywhere. The physics is well understood, but success depends on how this technology interacts with real subsurface conditions.

Founded in 2025 and based in Munich, Telura is working closely with leading European universities, is supported by SPRIND, and has raised $5m to date from leading German investors.

As we move from validation toward field-relevant testing, subsurface understanding becomes a first-order design driver. We’re looking to connect with a senior subsurface and geomechanics leader to help shape how our technology meets the Earth.

• →Provide technical leadership across subsurface, geomechanics, and rock physics as they relate to deep geothermal drilling
• →Help define how electro-impulse drilling interacts with different lithologies, stress regimes, temperatures, and pressure environments
• →Shape the subsurface assumptions and models that inform tool design, testing strategy, and scale-up
• →Advise on fracture behaviour, damage mechanisms, and rock response under high-energy impulse loading
• →Support definition of depth targets, geological envelopes, and deployment constraints for early customer trials and pilot projects
• →Act as a technical sparring partner to the CTO and engineering team on subsurface-related risks and opportunities
• →Support strategic engagement with customers, partners, research collaborators, and investors by providing subsurface credibility, framing trial locations, geological envelopes, and subsurface risk assumptions in key technical and commercial discussions

• Deep expertise in geomechanics, rock physics, geology, or subsurface engineering
• Background in geothermal, mining, oil & gas, or related deep subsurface domains
• Strong intuition for how stress, fracture, and thermal effects govern drilling outcomes
• Ability to translate complex subsurface behaviour into engineering-relevant guidance
• Experience working with subsurface models and data to inform engineering and deployment decisions, rather than purely academic analysis
• Comfort operating at the interface of modelling, experimentation, and real-world uncertainty
• A collaborative mindset and interest in shaping a new drilling paradigm from first principles

We’d love to hear how you’d help bridge subsurface physics and breakthrough drilling technology.