Chief Technology Officer / Founding AI Engineer

About the opportunity We are a well-backed, promising AI startup currently operating in stealth mode, building an AI-native technology platform for the investment industry. We are looking for an exceptional and highly experienced software engineering leader to join at CTO level and take ownership of the technology strategy, architecture and build-out from an early stage. This is not a conventional Software Engineer position. We are specifically looking for someone with at least 10 years of professional software engineering experience, the majority of which should involve AI, machine learning, intelligent automation or closely related technologies. The successful candidate will combine CTO-level technical judgement with a hands-on builder mentality. You should be equally comfortable defining the technology architecture and roadmap, making critical engineering decisions, and getting directly involved in building and shipping the platform. What you will do - Own and shape the company's overall technology strategy, architecture and technical roadmap - Architect and build an AI-native platform from the ground up - Design and deploy sophisticated AI agents and multi-agent systems - Develop scalable AI-powered automation across investment and operational workflows - Lead decisions around AI/ML architecture, LLMs, agent orchestration, data infrastructure and integrations - Establish robust engineering standards across security, scalability, testing, reliability and deployment - Work closely with the founders and senior leadership on product and technology strategy - Build and lead the engineering function as the company grows - Evaluate rapidly evolving AI technologies and determine where they can create genuine competitive advantage - Remain highly hands-on during the company's early stage Who we are looking for This is a senior leadership appointment, and we are only looking for candidates with substantial relevant experience. You should have: - 10+ years of professional software engineering experience - Significant senior-level experience leading technical architecture, engineering teams or technology strategy - Extensive professional experience in AI/ML, ideally representing the majority of your recent career - Deep hands-on knowledge of LLMs, agentic AI, multi-agent systems, AI/ML frameworks and automation - Strong software architecture and system-design credentials - Excellent programming skills, with Python experience highly desirable - A strong understanding of modern cloud, data, API and infrastructure architectures - Proven ability to take complex technology from concept through to production - Experience building at pace in startup, scale-up or similarly entrepreneurial environments - The ability to operate autonomously with significant ownership and accountability Experience within fintech, financial services, investment management or private equity technology would be highly advantageous. What we offer - A genuine opportunity to join an ambitious startup at a formative stage - Significant influence over the company's technology, architecture and product direction - Direct engagement with the founders and senior leadership - The opportunity to build and ultimately lead the technology function - Competitive compensation including meaningful startup equity participation Please note: This position is intended for a genuinely senior technology professional. Candidates without extensive senior-level software engineering and AI experience are unlikely to be suitable.