Chief Technology Officer

BrainWorks; United States; Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Flexible work arrangement

Job summary

BrainWorks is seeking a confidential, hands-on Chief Technology Officer to help build and scale an ambitious early‑stage AI technology business from the founding team. This role emphasizes engineering leadership and product architecture over managing an established department.

The ideal candidate has CTO/Technical Co-Founder or Founding Engineer experience, integrates exceptional engineering depth with entrepreneurial mindset, and will own the technical strategy, architecture, and long‑term

Qualifications

• Previous experience as CTO/Technical Co-Founder or Founding Engineer.
• Zero-to-one product development experience, including building a product from early stages.
• Exceptional software engineering and systems architecture expertise with production-grade delivery.
• Willingness to remain deeply hands-on with architecture, development and implementation.
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture, cloud technologies, system integrations and scalable applications.
• Experience making foundational technical decisions in resource-constrained environments.
• Ability to operate at both IC depth and executive leadership level.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and strong technical judgment for scalable solutions.

Responsibilities

• Own scalable architecture strategy and platform evolution.
• Hands-on software development, prototyping, and architectural decisions.
• Evaluate and implement AI capabilities, LLMs, and modern data systems.
• Translate vision into working product with build-versus-buy decisions.
• Recruit, mentor, and grow a high-performing engineering team while contributing technically.
• Establish reliable, secure, scalable infrastructure to support growth.
• Collaborate with founders to shape tech priorities and product direction.

Skills

CTO/Founding Engineer

Zero-to-one product

Cloud architectures

Hands-on engineering

AI systems

Strategic leadership

Job description

Location: United States | Flexible Work Arrangement

Employment Type: Full-Time | Direct Hire

Industry: Artificial Intelligence | Emerging Technology | Software

Compensation: $100,000–$200,000 Base Salary + Equity (Flexible cash/equity structure; greater equity participation may be considered in exchange for a lower base salary)

THE OPPORTUNITY

BrainWorks is conducting a confidential search for an exceptional, hands‑on Chief Technology Officer to help build and scale an ambitious early‑stage AI technology business.

This is an opportunity to join at the founding‑team level, partner directly with entrepreneurial leadership, and take ownership of the company's technical architecture, product development, and long‑term engineering strategy.

This is not a traditional CTO role focused primarily on managing an established engineering organization. We are looking for a builder first and a technology executive second.

The ideal candidate has previously served as a CTO, Technical Co-Founder, or Founding Engineer and has firsthand experience building technology from zero to one. This individual combines exceptional engineering capabilities with the technical judgment, entrepreneurial mindset, and leadership ability required to transform an early‑stage product into a scalable technology business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Technical Architecture & Strategy: Own the design, development, and evolution of scalable, production‑grade technology platforms.
• Hands‑On Engineering: Personally contribute to software development, prototyping, technical implementation, code review, and foundational architecture decisions.
• AI & Emerging Technologies: Evaluate and implement advanced AI capabilities, including large language models (LLMs), intelligent automation, agentic workflows, and modern data systems.
• Zero‑to‑One Product Development: Translate ambitious product visions into working technology, making critical architectural and build‑versus‑buy decisions along the way.
• Engineering Leadership: Recruit, mentor, and develop a high‑performing engineering organization while maintaining meaningful personal technical contribution.
• Scalability & Infrastructure: Establish engineering standards and build reliable, secure, scalable systems capable of supporting significant growth.
• Strategic Partnership: Collaborate directly with founders to shape technical priorities, product direction, and long‑term business strategy.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Previous experience as a CTO, Technical Co-Founder, or Founding Engineer, with direct responsibility for developing technology and influencing technical strategy.
• Demonstrated zero‑to‑one product development experience, including personally architecting, building, and launching a software product or platform from its earliest stages.
• Exceptional software engineering and systems architecture expertise, with a proven track record of delivering production‑grade software.
• Ability and willingness to remain deeply hands‑on with technical architecture, software development, and implementation.
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture, cloud technologies, system integrations, and scalable application development.
• Experience making foundational technical decisions, navigating ambiguity, and building with limited resources.
• Ability to operate at both individual‑contributor depth and executive leadership level.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, exceptional technical judgment, and demonstrated ability to translate complex challenges into scalable technology.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience building and scaling venture‑backed technology startups, ideally from pre‑seed or seed stage through subsequent growth.
• Hands‑on experience developing production AI applications, LLM integrations, model orchestration, agentic AI, or intelligent workflow automation.
• Background engineering highly impactful products at a leading technology company, AI organization, or high‑performing startup.
• Experience recruiting, mentoring, and building exceptional engineering teams from the ground up.
• Experience taking products beyond initial launch through commercialization, customer adoption, and meaningful scale.
• Demonstrated technical innovation and ability to solve complex engineering challenges in resource‑constrained environments.

WHO WILL THRIVE IN THIS ROLE

We are seeking a technical entrepreneur who has already experienced what it takes to build something from the ground up and is excited about doing it again.

The ideal candidate has firsthand experience serving as a startup CTO, Technical Co-Founder, or Founding Engineer, has personally contributed to building and launching technology, and understands the challenges of developing a business from its earliest stages.

This individual is equally comfortable writing code, designing architecture, making strategic technology decisions, and eventually building and leading an exceptional engineering organization.

The common denominator is someone who has built from zero to one, possesses exceptional technical depth, and wants meaningful ownership in what they create.

WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY?

• Founding‑team‑level involvement with significant influence over technical direction and product strategy.
• Opportunity to architect and build technology rather than inherit an established platform.
• Direct partnership with entrepreneurial founders and business leadership.
• Exposure to emerging AI technologies and complex engineering challenges.
• Opportunity to recruit and develop a world‑class engineering organization.
• Meaningful equity participation and the potential to help create significant long‑term enterprise value.

Additional information regarding the company, technology, and opportunity will be shared during the confidential recruiting process.

DISCLAIMERS

In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local pay transparency and fair hiring laws, the target annual base salary range for this position is $100,000–$200,000, plus potential equity participation. The compensation structure may offer flexibility between base salary and equity, with greater equity participation potentially available in exchange for a lower base salary, subject to mutual agreement and the final offer terms.

Final compensation will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and work location.

This position may also be eligible for additional forms of compensation, including bonus and equity participation, as well as a comprehensive benefits package provided by the hiring employer. Benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, 401(k) or retirement plan, paid time off, and other employee programs.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

All hiring decisions are made by the hiring employer, which is expected to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and verification requirements. BrainWorks complies with all applicable employment laws and encourages employers to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process.