Chief Technology Officer (CTO), hands-on Engineer

Company Overview:

We’re working with an innovative company focused on delivering cutting-edge payment orchestration solutions to streamline and optimize global financial transactions. We are seeking a visionary Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the technology strategy and drive the development of scalable, secure, and high-performance payment systems.

Job Summary:

The CTO will be responsible for shaping the company’s technological vision, overseeing the development and implementation of payment orchestration platforms, and building a high-performing engineering team. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in payment orchestration, deep expertise in building scalable financial systems, and a proven track record of leading technology teams in fast-paced environments. While hands-on Web3 experience is not required, familiarity with emerging technologies and a forward-thinking approach to innovation are essential.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership:
• Define and execute the company’s technology strategy, aligning it with business goals to drive growth and innovation in payment orchestration.
• Collaborate with the CEO and executive team to identify opportunities for technological advancements and market differentiation.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, particularly in payment systems, fintech, and related technologies, to ensure the company remains competitive.
• Technical Oversight:
• Oversee the design, development, and deployment of robust, scalable, and secure payment orchestration platforms capable of handling complex, high-volume transactions.
• Ensure systems are optimized for performance, reliability, and compliance with global financial regulations (e.g., PCI-DSS, GDPR, PSD2).
• Drive the adoption of best practices in software architecture, DevOps, and cloud infrastructure to support seamless payment processing.
• Team Leadership and Development:
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
• Recruit top technical talent and develop career growth plans to retain and empower team members.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring the team stays current with industry standards and emerging technologies.
• Payment Orchestration Expertise:
• Leverage deep knowledge of payment orchestration to design systems that integrate multiple payment gateways, processors, and financial institutions seamlessly.
• Optimize transaction routing, cost efficiency, and fraud prevention through intelligent orchestration solutions.
• Ensure systems support diverse payment methods (e.g., credit cards, digital wallets, ACH, cross-border payments) and currencies.
• Innovation and Scalability:
• Drive the development of innovative solutions to enhance payment processing efficiency, reduce latency, and improve customer experience.
• Architect systems to handle high transaction volumes and support global scalability.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies (e.g., AI, machine learning, blockchain) where applicable, without requiring hands-on Web3 expertise.
• Stakeholder Collaboration:
• Partner with product, operations, and compliance teams to ensure technology solutions meet business and regulatory requirements.
• Act as a key liaison with external partners, vendors, and financial institutions to integrate third-party payment systems effectively.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, including the board, investors, and clients.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience in technology leadership, with at least 5 years in a team management role (tech lead, architect, manager, director, and etc…)
• Proven expertise in payment orchestration, including experience with payment gateways, transaction routing, and financial integrations.
• Deep understanding of financial systems, payment processing workflows, and compliance requirements (e.g., PCI-DSS, AML, KYC).
• Experience building and scaling high-availability, low-latency systems in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of building and managing high-performing engineering teams.
• Familiarity with modern software development practices (e.g., Agile, CI/CD, microservices architecture).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• No hands-on Web3 experience required, but familiarity with blockchain or distributed ledger technologies is a plus.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in fintech, e-commerce, or related industries with complex payment workflows.
• Knowledge of fraud detection, risk management, and security best practices in payment systems.
• Familiarity with data analytics and AI-driven optimization for payment orchestration.
• Experience working with global teams and managing cross-functional projects.