Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer | A27

Sanabil Studio; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Pre-seed capital via SAFE

Legal, finance, HR backbone

Sanabil Studio network

Investment Committee oversight

Accelerated learning curve

Job summary

Sanabil Studio seeks a Co-Founder & CTO for A27 to own architecture and engineering from early product to scalable platform. You’ll lead AI-enabled products, build a modern data platform, and drive secure, compliant systems for private capital markets.

You will collaborate closely with the CEO and founding team in Riyadh, shaping a tokenization-ready roadmap while ensuring reliability and strong security across the stack.

Qualifications

• Shipped AI/ML or data-intensive products into production.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals with AI/data platforms.
• Experience in fintech, financial services, or regulated domains.
• Proven track record turning complex data into reliable tools with business impact.
• Led engineering teams in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture and engineering roadmap from early product to scale.
• Lead development of AI-enabled products turning unstructured data into structured intelligence.
• Build and operate a modern data platform for ingestion, processing, structuring, serving, and monitoring financial data.
• Drive responsible AI with model monitoring, explainability, and human-in-the-loop when needed.
• Build integration layers with financial institutions, market participants, and data providers.
• Establish technical standards across code quality, CI/CD, observability, reliability, and docs.
• Build security, privacy, and data-governance foundations for enterprise procurement and regulatory needs.
• Make build-versus-buy decisions for infra, data providers, and core components.
• Lay groundwork for tokenization of real-world assets including blockchain architecture considerations.
• Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing engineering and data team in Riyadh.
• Collaborate with CEO, customers, and compliance to translate real financial workflows into product.

Skills

AI/ML experience

Data platforms

Engineering leadership

Fintech domain

Security & compliance

Job description

Sanabil Studio is a venture builder that blends industry expertise, technology, and startup know-how to turn bold ideas into real businesses. We take concepts from zero to launch, and when a venture proves its potential, we back it with seed funding and hands-on support to help it scale. A27, a Sanabil Studio venture, is building the infrastructure for the future of structured finance. The fundamental question we ask ourselves is: how do we make the end-to-end asset lifecycle in private capital markets more efficient, accurate, and fast for borrowers and lenders? A27 brings together AI, financial infrastructure, and deep domain expertise to reimagine how private capital markets operate. Over time, the platform will extend into the tokenization of real-world assets. We have already validated promising demand in the market and are now entering the next stage of growth. We are looking for a Co-Founder & CTO to own A27's technology and engineering from an early product through a scalable, secure platform, building the systems and the team that make the asset lifecycle in private capital markets faster, more accurate, and more efficient.

THE ROLE What You’ll Own Here.

• Own the architecture and engineering roadmap from an early product through scale, ensuring systems are secure, reliable, and maintainable.
• Lead the development of AI-enabled products that turn complex, unstructured financial information into structured, decision-ready intelligence.
• Build and operate a modern data platform covering ingestion, processing, structuring, serving, and monitoring of financial data.
• Drive a responsible AI approach, including accuracy, model monitoring, explainability, and human-in-the-loop review where correctness matters.
• Build the integration layer into financial institutions, market participants, and third-party data providers.
• Establish technical standards across code quality, CI/CD, observability, reliability, and documentation.
• Build strong security, privacy, and data-governance foundations that can withstand enterprise procurement and support future regulatory and licensing requirements.
• Make pragmatic build-versus-buy decisions across infrastructure, data providers, and core components.
• Lay the groundwork for tokenization of real-world assets, assessing the blockchain, custody, and smart-contract architecture a compliant tokenization layer will require as the product matures.
• Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing engineering and data team in Riyadh.
• Partner closely with the CEO, customers, and compliance to turn real financial workflows into product.

THE PROFILE You're probably a fit if...

• You have shipped AI/ML or data-intensive products into production, not just prototypes.
• You bring strong software engineering fundamentals alongside hands-on experience with AI, data platforms, or information processing.
• You have experience in fintech, financial services, capital markets, or another regulated, correctness-critical domain, and understand why accuracy and auditability matter.
• You have a track record of turning complex, messy data into structured, reliable tools with measurable business impact.
• You have hired, mentored, and led engineering teams in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• You take full ownership of outcomes and maintain high standards for reliability, security, and scalable architecture.
• You communicate clearly with engineers, executives, and non-technical stakeholders.
• You are based in Riyadh or open to relocation; this is an on-site leadership role.
• Arabic is a plus; English proficiency is required.
• Bonus: experience with AI-driven document or information extraction, financial-data modeling, or open banking; blockchain, digital assets, or the tokenization of real-world assets; enterprise-grade security and compliance such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001; regulated fintech products; or prior experience as a founding or early-stage engineering leader.

THE ENVIRONMENT What Working Here Actually Looks Like.

Builder Role, Real Scope: You won’t be maintaining an existing system. You'll take an early product and define the architecture, build the team, and own outcomes from day one.

AI at the Core: AI is central to how A27 works, and you will lead that effort.

Close to the Top: You'll work directly with the CEO and the Sanabil Studio founding team in Riyadh, with fast feedback loops and real influence on company direction.

What You Get From Us

• Meaningful equity: A co-founder equity stake tied to the long-term value you help create.
• Pre-seed capital deployed via SAFE at spin-out, so you can build with real resources behind you.
• Legal, finance, HR, and administrative backbone so you can focus entirely on building the company.
• Access to the Sanabil Studio network of portfolio companies, investors, operators, and industry experts.
• Institutional governance and Investment Committee oversight to help you prepare for your Seed round.
• An accelerated curve: you'll learn more here in 12 months than most roles offer in three years.