Founding CTO

Dex; Greater London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Dex in London is partnering with a high-growth AI startup to appoint a Founding CTO. This role owns the technical architecture of the engine that identifies target markets, spins up new ventures, and runs with minimal human intervention.

You will build AI-native systems, recruit and lead an engineering organization, and stay hands-on in the codebase while scaling across London.

Qualifications

• Proven track record as a technical founder or early-stage engineering leader.
• Experience architecting AI-native, data-intensive systems.
• Ability to contribute hands-on while guiding dozens of engineers.
• Willingness to work in-person in London five days a week.

Responsibilities

• Architect the central intelligence platform identifying target markets.
• Build autonomous agent systems with real-time feedback loops.
• Recruit, lead, and set engineering standards for a scaling team.
• Contribute codebase and maintain production reliability across multiple ventures.

Skills

Tech founder experience

AI-native systems

Hands-on engineering

Engineering leadership

London in-person

Job description

This role is with one of Dex's trusted partner companies. We work closely with their teams to truly understand their culture, goals, and what they're looking for, so we can match you with the right opportunity and give you context about the role before you commit to a process.

Dex is an AI recruiter agent that helps you run your job search. Tell Dex your stack, seniority, and what you want to build. We will manage your applications and surface other opportunities that are a fit.

The role

Most AI startups sell software to slow incumbents or try to buy them up. This company builds a machine that replaces them entirely. Backed by top-tier European venture funds, they rebuild legacy consumer businesses from scratch as AI-native operations run by lean operators on a central platform. In under a year, they scaled from zero to eight figures in annualized revenue while generating over $1M per employee.

As Founding CTO, you will own the technical architecture of the engine that decides which companies to launch, how to spin them up, and how to run them with almost no human intervention. This is not an advisory seat or a high-level delegating role; it is an intense, deeply hands‑on position building the core platform from day zero and scaling an elite engineering organization across London.

The work

• Architect the central intelligence platform that identifies target markets, orchestrates operations, and runs parallel commercial enterprises with minimal human headcount.
• Build autonomous agent systems and real-time operational feedback loops across supplier negotiations, unit logistics, and performance marketing.
• Recruit, lead, and set the engineering standard for a team scaling to dozens of high‑calibre engineers over the coming months.
• Stay directly in the codebase, balancing zero-to-one software architecture with production reliability across multiple rapidly scaling businesses.

What You Bring

• Prior experience as a technical founder, founding engineer, or early-stage VP of Engineering who has built and led engineering teams from scratch.
• Demonstrated track record architecting complex AI-native systems, autonomous agents, or data‑intensive operational platforms.
• Proven ability to maintain deep hands‑on technical contribution while recruiting and setting the bar for dozens of incoming engineers.
• Commitment to working fully in-person in London five days a week in a high‑intensity, long-hours environment.