Field CTO – Retail & Commerce AI

Field CTO – Retail & Commerce AI

Full-Time 100000 - 150000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Nebius

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the development of innovative AI solutions for Retail & Commerce.
  • Company: Join Nebius, a pioneering cloud infrastructure company shaping the future of AI.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, career growth, and a flexible work environment.
  • Other info: Fast-paced culture focused on innovation and meaningful contributions.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in AI while working with cutting-edge technology.
  • Qualifications: 5+ years in cloud infrastructure and AI, with strong leadership skills.

The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.

About Nebius: Nebius is leading a new era in cloud infrastructure for the global AI economy. We are building a full-stack AI cloud platform that supports developers and enterprises from data and model training through to production deployment, without the cost and complexity of building large in-house AI/ML infrastructure. Built by engineers, for engineers. From large-scale GPU orchestration to inference optimization, we own the hard problems across compute, storage, networking and applied AI. Listed on Nasdaq (NBIS) and headquartered in Amsterdam, we have a global footprint with R&D hubs across Europe, the UK, North America and Israel. Our team of 1,500+ includes hundreds of engineers with deep expertise across hardware, software and AI R&D.

The role: The Field CTO for Retail & Commerce AI is a senior technical leadership role responsible for converting raw market demand into a scalable, domain-specific platform. You will own the technical product strategy and the technical GTM motion, ensuring Nebius evolves its capabilities to support the unique demands of Retail & Commerce AI workloads. Operating at the intersection of deep customer engagement, platform engineering, and sales strategy, you will serve as the principal technical partner for Lighthouse Accounts, engaging directly with customer CTOs to map Nebius’ existing capabilities to their immediate needs to help close complex deals. Simultaneously, you will not only identify customer challenges but also architect the solution patterns that solve them for the entire market. This is a definitive "Zero to One" opportunity to define a new category of cloud infrastructure from the ground up. You’re welcome to work in our office in London or remotely.

Your responsibilities will include:

  • Executive Technical Leadership: Serve as the external "CTO" face of Nebius to Retail & Commerce AI customers, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders, building trust with executive peers.
  • Lighthouse Deal Support: Partner with Sales leadership to close strategic "company-making" deals by leading architectural workshops and aligning technical roadmaps with customer goals.
  • Technical Product Strategy: Translate bespoke customer needs into clear, scalable technical and product requirements for Nebius product, engineering, and infrastructure teams.
  • Field Enablement: Act as a force multiplier for the sales organization by creating the technical narrative, reference architectures, and training materials needed to upskill Field SAs and Sellers.
  • Cross-Functional Alignment: Drive alignment across Product, Engineering, Infrastructure, and GTM teams, ensuring the internal roadmap reflects the reality of the market.
  • Architectural Guidance: Provide architectural guidance to help customers maximize value from Nebius services, while identifying the necessary "primitives" required to support end-to-end agentic workflows.
  • Pattern Recognition: Identify recurring customer pain points across agentic commerce, retail process optimization, and data pipelines to surface gaps in existing offerings and influence roadmap decisions.
  • Ecosystem & M&A: Partner with ecosystem vendors (agentic commerce platforms, product discovery & recommendation engines, price & promotion optimization, POS systems & payment solutions, supply chain management) to identify integration opportunities and evaluate potential technical M&A targets.
  • Feedback Loops: Maintain structured internal feedback loops to ensure customer learnings are tracked, communicated, and acted upon by R&D.

We expect you to have:

  • 5+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure, platform engineering, or distributed systems.
  • 5+ years of experience in AI, Data Science, ML, MLOps and Complex Integrations, with exposure to production or large-scale systems.
  • Prior experience in a senior technical leadership role (e.g., CTO / Technical co-founder in Retail AI-Native startup, Field CTO, Head of Machine Learning, Head of Engineering).
  • Dual-Competency: You are equally comfortable drawing a distributed system architecture on a whiteboard for engineers and explaining the business value of that architecture to a CEO.
  • GTM Fluency: Experience partnering with Sales teams to close large-scale enterprise deals and enabling field teams with technical assets.
  • Product-Minded Leadership: Experience defining a product or platform strategy based on market feedback, not just executing technical tickets.
  • Technical Depth: Strong hands-on understanding of GPU-centric infrastructure, high-performance compute, storage systems, and networking.
  • Retail Fluency: Experience with Retail & Commerce AI workflows, including agentic commerce, omnichannel Gen AI, product discovery & recommendation, supply chain optimization, training pipelines, and real-world deployment constraints.
  • Communication: Strong executive presence, capable of influencing product teams and leadership through clarity and credibility.
  • Comfort in Ambiguity: Experience operating in fast-moving environments (hyperscalers, cloud platforms, or advanced AI startups) where requirements are evolving.
  • Travel: ~20–30% (customer visits, partner engagements, industry events).

Why Nebius:

  • Build Solutions: You aren't just selling infrastructure; you are shaping the cloud architecture that will power the next generation of Retail & Commerce AI.
  • Scale: Opportunity to build a world class, multi-billion dollar business from scratch.
  • Frontier Technology: Work at the frontier of AI, agentic workflows, and commerce intelligence alongside leading customers and partners.
  • Strategic Impact: Operate with real influence over product direction, platform strategy, and ecosystem development.
  • Ownership: Join a team that values technical depth, ownership, and speed of execution.
  • Mission: Help define how intelligence moves from the data center to digital commerce, retail stores and supply chain.
  • Benefits & Perks: Competitive compensation, career growth and learning opportunities, flexibility and work-life balance, collaborative and innovative culture, opportunity to work on impactful AI projects, international environment and talented teams.

What's it like to work at Nebius: Fast moving - Bold thinking - Constant growth - Meaningful impact - Trust and real ownership - Opportunity to shape the future of AI.

Equal Opportunity Statement: Nebius is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Applicants must be authorized to work in the country in which they apply and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility as a condition of hire. If you need accommodations during the application process, please let us know.

Field CTO – Retail & Commerce AI employer: Nebius

At Nebius, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through competitive compensation, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities to engage in impactful AI projects within a diverse international team. Join us in shaping the future of Retail & Commerce AI while enjoying the benefits of working in a fast-paced environment that values trust, ownership, and meaningful contributions.

Nebius

Contact Details:

Nebius Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Field CTO – Retail & Commerce AI

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out to folks on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.

Tip Number 2

Show off your expertise! When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, make sure to highlight your technical skills and experience in cloud infrastructure and AI. Share specific examples of how you've tackled challenges in the past – it’ll help you stand out from the crowd.

Tip Number 3

Be proactive! Don’t just wait for job postings to pop up. Reach out directly to companies you’re interested in, like Nebius, and express your enthusiasm for their work. A well-crafted email can go a long way in getting noticed.

Tip Number 4

Prepare for interviews by doing your homework. Understand Nebius’ products and how they fit into the Retail & Commerce AI landscape. Be ready to discuss how your background aligns with their needs and how you can contribute to their mission. And remember, apply through our website for the best chance!

We think you need these skills to ace Field CTO – Retail & Commerce AI

Cloud Infrastructure
Platform Engineering
Distributed Systems
AI
Data Science
Machine Learning (ML)
MLOps

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Field CTO role. Highlight your experience in cloud infrastructure and AI, and show how it aligns with Nebius' mission. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!

Showcase Your Technical Depth:Don’t hold back on your technical skills! Whether it's GPU-centric infrastructure or distributed systems, let us know what you’ve worked on. We’re looking for someone who can bridge the gap between tech and business, so make that clear.

Demonstrate Your Leadership Experience:Since this is a senior role, share examples of your leadership experience. Talk about how you've influenced product strategy or led teams in fast-paced environments. We love seeing candidates who can drive change and inspire others!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining Nebius and being part of our exciting journey!

How to prepare for a job interview at Nebius

Know Your Stuff

Make sure you have a solid understanding of cloud infrastructure, AI, and the specific technologies mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your knowledge of GPU orchestration and distributed systems, as you'll need to demonstrate your technical depth during the interview.

Understand the Market

Familiarise yourself with the Retail & Commerce AI landscape. Research current trends, challenges, and opportunities in this sector. Being able to discuss how Nebius can address these issues will show that you're not just technically savvy but also market-aware.

Prepare for Scenario Questions

Expect to be asked about how you would handle specific customer challenges or architectural decisions. Think through potential scenarios where you can showcase your problem-solving skills and ability to translate customer needs into technical solutions.

Showcase Your Leadership Skills

As a Field CTO, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully driven alignment across different teams or closed significant deals.