Define and execute the technical strategy for Clause5afe’s entire product and platform infrastructure.
Build, hire, and lead the engineering team from initial hires through scale (targeting 8–15 engineers in Year 1–2).
Architect and deliver the core certification platform: client onboarding portal, document management, audit workflow tools, evidence collection, scoring/assessment engines, and certificate generation.
Build the public certification registry — a transparent, searchable database where certification status can be independently verified.
Develop API infrastructure for enterprise integrations, enabling clients to connect their AI systems to our monitoring and compliance tools.
Establish security, privacy, and infrastructure standards befitting a company that certifies others on these exact topics.
Collaborate with the CCO on translating certification methodology into scalable technical workflows.
Support investor due diligence on technical architecture, scalability, and product roadmap.
Manage vendor relationships for cloud infrastructure, DevOps tooling, and third-party integrations.

10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a technical leadership role (VP Engineering, CTO, Principal Engineer).
Proven experience building SaaS platforms from scratch in a startup or early-stage environment.
Strong full-stack architecture skills: Python or Node.js backend, React frontend, cloud infrastructure (AWS or Azure).
Experience with compliance, audit, or GRC (governance, risk, compliance) platforms is a significant plus.
Deep understanding of security best practices, data encryption, access controls, and secure application development.
Experience hiring, managing, and mentoring engineering teams through rapid growth.
Ability to translate business requirements into technical architecture and manage engineering timelines against business milestones.
Startup mentality — comfortable building from zero, making tradeoffs, and shipping fast without sacrificing quality.
Nice to Have
Experience with AI/ML systems, model evaluation, or AI governance tooling.
Background in enterprise software serving regulated industries (fintech, healthtech, cybersecurity).
Experience building developer-facing products, APIs, or open-source tooling.
Prior CTO/VP Eng role at a company that achieved SOC 2, ISO 27001, or similar certifications (you’ll understand our clients’ world from the inside).

Chief Technology Officer – CTO

Key skills