Chief Technology Officer

Stealth Startup; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Stealth Startup is seeking a Chief Technology Officer in San Francisco to lead technology strategy across its incubator and portfolio companies. You will shape product direction, architecture, and technology roadmaps while building and mentoring a cross-functional team of engineers, AI/ML specialists, and data experts.

You will drive AI agents, automation workflows, and data infrastructure, translating business needs into scalable technical solutions and ensuring security and scalability across

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional technology experience.
• Proven track record of building and scaling products from zero to one and one to many.
• Experience in senior technical leadership roles (CTO, VP Eng, technical founder).
• Experience designing AI-powered products, AI agents, automation systems, or data-intensive apps.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a unified technology strategy across the incubator and its portfolio companies.
• Partner with founders on product strategy, architecture, roadmaps, and early-stage hiring.
• Design and architect shared systems, data infrastructure, internal tools, and platforms.
• Lead the development of AI agents, automation workflows, and vertical AI solutions.
• Translate business needs into scalable technical solutions.
• Build and mentor a high-performing cross-functional organization (Software Eng, AI/ML, Data, Product).
• Establish engineering best practices around architecture, development, testing, deployment, security, and scalability.
• Make high-impact technical decisions balancing speed, quality, and long-term scalability.
• Collaborate with founders and operators to leverage technology for business value.
• Help early-stage ventures move from prototype to production and scale.

Skills

7+ years experience

Senior tech leadership

AI/ML expertise

Cloud infrastructure

Distributed systems

Recruiting & mentoring

Hands-on leadership

Strategy & product direction

Strong communication

Ownership & initiative

Job description

Role : CTO

Location: San Francisco, CA

Work Mode: Hybrid

Employment Type: Full-time

Experience: 7+ years

We’re looking for an experienced Chief Technology Officer to serve as the senior-most technical leader across our incubator.

This is a founder-CTO-style role for someone who has successfully built and scaled products from zero to one and from one to many. You’ll operate at both the strategic and hands-on levels—setting technology direction, shaping product and architecture, building teams, and working directly with founders and operators across our portfolio.

You’ll play a critical role in turning early-stage ideas into scalable, technology-driven businesses, with a particular focus on AI, automation, data, and modern software infrastructure.

What You’ll Do

• Define and execute a unified technology strategy across the incubator and its portfolio companies.
• Partner closely with founders on product strategy, technical architecture, technology roadmaps, and early-stage technical hiring.
• Design and architect shared systems, data infrastructure, internal tools, and technology platforms used across operating companies.
• Lead the development of AI agents, automation workflows, and vertical AI solutions for real-world businesses.
• Translate business and customer needs into scalable technical solutions.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing cross-functional organization spanning Software Engineering, AI/ML, Data, and Product.
• Establish engineering best practices around architecture, development, testing, deployment, security, and scalability.
• Make high-impact technical decisions while balancing speed, quality, and long-term scalability.
• Work directly with founders, operators, and leadership teams to identify opportunities where technology can create significant business leverage.
• Help early-stage ventures move rapidly from prototype to production and scale.

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years of professional technology experience, with significant experience in senior technical leadership.
• Proven track record of building and scaling products from zero to one and one to many.
• Experience as a CTO, VP Engineering, founding engineer, technical founder, or similar senior technical leadership role.
• Strong software engineering and system architecture fundamentals.
• Experience designing and building AI-powered products, AI agents, automation systems, or data-intensive applications.
• Strong understanding of modern cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, APIs, databases, and software architecture.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and lead high-performing technical teams.
• Strong product sense and the ability to connect technical decisions with business outcomes.
• Comfortable being hands-on when necessary while also operating strategically at the executive level.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with engineers, founders, investors, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong ownership mentality, high agency, and the ability to thrive in fast-moving, ambiguous environments.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a builder at heart who enjoys operating at the intersection of technology, product, and business.

You should be comfortable moving between a strategy discussion with founders, an architecture review with engineers, and hands-on technical problem-solving when needed.

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Think strategically but execute quickly.
• Have strong technical depth and excellent product judgment.
• Enjoy building teams and developing future technical leaders.
• Are comfortable with ambiguity and changing priorities.
• Have a strong bias toward action and ownership.
• Can identify opportunities where technology and AI can create meaningful business advantages.
• Enjoy building products and companies from the earliest stages through scale.

Why Join Us?

• Lead technology strategy across a portfolio of early-stage, high-growth ventures.
• Work directly with founders and operators on high-impact technical and business problems.
• Build and scale AI-powered products and infrastructure from the ground up.
• Have significant influence over architecture, product direction, hiring, and engineering culture.
• Work in an environment that combines venture building, technology, and hands-on company creation.
• Help turn ambitious ideas into category-defining companies.