About the Role
A fast-growing, AI-driven B2B workflow and automation company is hiring a founding-level, hands-on Chief Technology Officer to own architecture, scale the platform, and build the engineering organization from first principles as the business progresses through Series A/B and beyond.
This role is designed for a true 0→1 builder—someone who has architected products from nothing more than a whiteboard, shipped early versions to real customers, iterated through ambiguity, and scaled systems and teams through growth, funding events, and (ideally) liquidity outcomes.
You will act as the Founder’s closest technical partner, with direct responsibility not only for product and platform decisions, but also for representing the technology vision to customers, investors, and strategic partners. Candidates who have raised capital, supported technical diligence, and/or participated in successful exits will be strongly preferred.
What You’ll Do
Technical Leadership & Architecture
- Own the end-to-end technical architecture, including:
- Core systems of record for workflows, materials, and documentation
- Systems of intelligence for forecasting, risk detection, and operational insight
- An agentic execution layer powered by LLM-based systems
- Remain deeply hands-on with the stack (Node.js, Python, React, AWS), reviewing and contributing to core architectural and agent-design decisions.
- Make foundational choices around:
- Data models and schemas
- Multi-tenant SaaS architecture
- Scalability, observability, reliability, and security
- Balance speed and rigor—knowing when to ship fast and when to harden systems for scale.
LLM & Agentic Systems
- Lead all AI and LLM initiatives, including:
- Retrieval, embedding, and indexing pipelines
- Autonomous and semi-autonomous agents for workflow execution, communication, and document understanding
- Safety, performance tuning, testing, and monitoring of AI systems in production
- Build AI systems customers can trust for mission-critical workflows, not demos.
0→1 Product & Team Building
- Build the engineering organization from the ground up:
- Recruit, hire, and develop early senior engineers
- Establish technical standards, ownership models, and operating rhythms
- Create a culture of urgency, accountability, and customer obsession.
- Implement practical engineering processes, dashboards, and review mechanisms appropriate for an early-stage company—without over-engineering.
External & Investor-Facing Leadership
- Serve as the technical face of the company with:
- Customers and design partners
- Investors and prospective funding partners
- Partner closely with the Founder/CEO during fundraising:
- Support technical diligence
- Clearly articulate architectural decisions and tradeoffs
- Instill confidence in the company’s ability to scale
- Communicate clearly and decisively, especially under pressure and scrutiny.
What We’re Looking For
Required
- 10+ years of software engineering experience, including:
- Senior IC (Staff / Principal) experience in high-performing environments
- Leadership roles (CTO, VP Engineering, Head of Engineering) in early-stage or high-growth companies
- Demonstrated experience taking products from concept → MVP → production → scale
- Hands-on production experience with LLM-based systems, including agent orchestration, retrieval, and workflow automation
- Strong systems background, including:
- Architecting and operating multi-tenant SaaS platforms on AWS
- Fluency in Node.js, Python, React, or comparable modern stacks
Strongly Preferred
- Prior experience:
- Raising venture capital (Seed, Series A/B, or later)
- Supporting investor technical diligence
- Participating in one or more successful exits (acquisition or IPO)
- Comfort operating in ambiguity with limited structure and high accountability
- Founder mentality: ownership-driven, pragmatic, and execution-oriented
Location & Working Model
This role is ideally based in San Francisco / Bay Area, where the company expects its strongest engineering and investor density.
That said, exceptional candidates may be considered in the following hubs:
- Boston
- New York City
- Twin Cities (Minneapolis–St. Paul)
- Colorado (Denver / Boulder preferred)
The expectation is meaningful in-person collaboration with the Founder, early team, customers, and investors. While the company supports flexibility, this is not a fully remote, low-touch role—the CTO is expected to be present, engaged, and deeply embedded in the business during its formative stages.
Relocation support may be available for the right candidate.
