At a Glance
- Tasks: Join us as a hands-on CTO, building core infrastructure and backend systems.
- Company: Be part of a dynamic startup where your engineering skills shape the future.
- Benefits: Enjoy early-stage equity, high ownership, and a fast-paced, bureaucracy-free environment.
- Why this job: This role offers growth potential and the chance to make impactful decisions.
- Qualifications: Proficiency in modern backend languages and strong systems design skills are essential.
- Other info: Ideal for engineers who thrive on building from scratch and love problem-solving.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
We’re looking for a high-caliber engineer to join as a CTO. You should be deeply hands-on with code, technically opinionated, and capable of building production systems from scratch. This is a role for someone who enjoys execution but also has the potential (or ambition) to lead technology at a company-defining level.
What You’ll Do
- Build and own core infrastructure and backend systems
- Design and implement APIs, data models, and scalable services
- Collaborate closely with founders on product direction and technical architecture
- Ship code fast, validate assumptions, and iterate
- Lay the groundwork for the future engineering team (tooling, processes, and architecture)
Core Technical Requirements
- Proficient in one or more modern backend languages (e.g. Python, Go, TypeScript, Java, Rust)
- Strong systems design skills — you can model real-world systems and reason about scale, latency, and trade-offs
- Comfortable building from zero — greenfield work doesn’t scare you; in fact, you prefer it
- Experienced with cloud infrastructure — AWS, GCP, or similar; IaC (Terraform, Pulumi, etc.) is a plus
- Competent with databases and data modeling — SQL and NoSQL, designing schema for scale
- Comfortable writing tests and deploying production systems — you care about code quality and reliability
Bonus Experience (Not Required, but Valuable)
- Worked at a Pre-Seed or Seed-stage startup through to Series A
- Built or deployed software used by enterprise customers
- Experience with applied machine learning or MLOps (not just academic or notebook-based work)
- Exposure to event-driven architectures, streaming systems (Kafka, etc.), or real-time data pipelines
- Frontend experience in React, TypeScript, or similar modern frameworks
What We Offer
- Early-stage equity and the opportunity to shape foundational decisions
- High ownership, zero bureaucracy — build what matters, fast
- Founders who value engineers, ship code, and work closely with you
- A role that grows with you — if you have CTO potential, you’ll have a path
You should apply if: You’re an engineer first — you solve problems through code, you like building things that work, and you’ve got the technical depth to back it up.
Contact Detail:
Nihires Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Technical Co-Founder // Startup CTO (Go and React)
✨Tip Number 1
Make sure to showcase your hands-on coding experience in Go and React during any discussions. Highlight specific projects where you've built production systems from scratch, as this aligns perfectly with what we're looking for.
✨Tip Number 2
Demonstrate your ability to design scalable systems by discussing real-world examples. Be prepared to explain your thought process around system design, trade-offs, and how you’ve tackled challenges in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 3
Familiarise yourself with our tech stack and be ready to discuss how you would approach building core infrastructure and APIs. Showing that you can hit the ground running will make a strong impression.
✨Tip Number 4
Engage with us on our company values and culture. We value engineers who are proactive and collaborative, so be prepared to share how you’ve worked closely with founders or teams to drive product direction and technical architecture.
We think you need these skills to ace Technical Co-Founder // Startup CTO (Go and React)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience with backend languages like Go and your proficiency in systems design. Emphasise any previous roles where you built production systems from scratch or worked in a startup environment.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for coding and problem-solving. Mention specific projects where you've demonstrated your ability to ship code quickly and iterate based on feedback, as this aligns with the company's needs.
Showcase Relevant Projects: Include links to your GitHub or portfolio showcasing relevant projects, especially those involving cloud infrastructure or modern frameworks like React. This will give the hiring team insight into your hands-on experience and technical skills.
Highlight Leadership Potential: Even if you haven't held a formal leadership role, discuss instances where you've taken initiative or led projects. This will demonstrate your ambition and potential to grow into the CTO role, which is crucial for this position.
How to prepare for a job interview at Nihires
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Be prepared to discuss your proficiency in backend languages like Go and your experience with systems design. Bring examples of past projects where you built production systems from scratch, as this will demonstrate your hands-on capabilities.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Abilities
During the interview, focus on how you approach problem-solving through code. Share specific instances where you tackled complex challenges, especially in greenfield projects, to highlight your ability to build from zero.
✨Discuss Collaboration and Leadership
Since this role involves working closely with founders, be ready to talk about your experience in collaborative environments. Emphasise any leadership roles you've taken on, even if informal, to show your potential for guiding a future engineering team.
✨Prepare Questions About Future Vision
Think about the long-term vision for the technology at the company. Prepare insightful questions regarding their product direction and technical architecture, which will show your interest in shaping foundational decisions and your strategic thinking.