Chief Technology Officer- Chickpea

Recruit Digital; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology startup in Johannesburg seeks a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead their technology strategy and manage an AI-powered video platform. The ideal candidate will have proven technical leadership experience, expertise in backend development, and the ability to mentor teams. This role is on-site and full-time, offering a dynamic environment for innovation and customer engagement.

Qualifications

• Proven CTO or senior technical leadership experience, ideally in startups.
• Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on coding.
• Strong customer-facing and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the technology roadmap aligned with business goals.
• Build and scale the AI-powered video platform.
• Mentor engineering and AI teams fostering collaboration and innovation.
• Act as a technical ambassador advising clients on integrations.
• Explore generative AI and video rendering technologies.

Skills

Backend development (PHP / Laravel)

JavaScript frameworks (Vue.js / React)

AI / ML pipelines

Cloud infrastructure (AWS / GCP)

Customer-facing skills

Leadership

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Overview

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Location : Johannesburg, South Africa (On-site, Full-Time)

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy: Define and execute the technology roadmap, aligning with business goals and driving AI video personalization innovation.
• Technology: Build and scale the AI-powered video platform (PHP / Laravel, Python, JS frameworks, AWS / GCP, Docker / Kubernetes). Stay hands-on with coding and ensure system scalability and security.
• Leadership: Mentor engineering and AI teams, fostering collaboration and innovation.
• Customer Engagement: Act as a technical ambassador, advising clients on integrations and translating feedback into solutions.
• Innovation: Explore generative AI and video rendering technologies, prototype features, and represent the company at industry events.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven CTO or senior technical leadership experience, ideally in startups.
• Expertise in backend (PHP / Laravel), JS frameworks (Vue.js / React), AI / ML pipelines, and cloud infrastructure (AWS / GCP).
• Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on coding.
• Strong customer-facing and leadership skills.

Desired Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset, passionate about AI, and personalization.
• Curious, client-focused, and innovative.

Why Join?

• Blend hands-on technical work with leadership in a startup.
• Impact customers and global brands in a dynamic, innovative team.