At a Glance
- Tasks: Join us as a hands-on CTO, building core infrastructure and backend systems.
- Company: Be part of an innovative startup shaping the future of technology.
- Benefits: Enjoy early-stage equity, high ownership, and a fast-paced work environment.
- Why this job: This role offers the chance to lead tech decisions and grow with the company.
- Qualifications: Proficiency in modern backend languages and strong systems design skills required.
- Other info: Ideal for engineers who thrive in greenfield projects and want to make an impact.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 84000 £ 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.
Technical Co-Founder // Startup CTO (Go and React) employer: Nihires
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
Showcase your hands-on coding experience by discussing specific projects where you've built production systems from scratch. Highlight any greenfield work you've done, as this aligns perfectly with what we're looking for.
✨Tip Number 2
Emphasise your ability to design scalable systems and APIs. Be prepared to discuss your thought process around system design, trade-offs, and how you've tackled challenges in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 3
Demonstrate your familiarity with cloud infrastructure and tools like Terraform or Pulumi. If you have experience deploying applications on AWS or GCP, make sure to mention it, as this is a key requirement for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
If you have experience working in early-stage startups, share those insights. Discuss how you've contributed to shaping technology direction and team processes, as this will resonate well with our founders.
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 technical skills, especially in backend languages like Go and your experience with cloud infrastructure. Emphasise any previous roles where you built systems from scratch or worked in a startup environment.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for engineering and problem-solving through code. Mention specific projects where you've demonstrated your ability to design scalable systems and collaborate closely with teams.
Showcase Relevant Projects: Include links to your GitHub or portfolio showcasing relevant projects, particularly those that demonstrate your experience with APIs, data models, and production systems. Highlight any greenfield projects you've led.
Prepare for Technical Questions: Anticipate technical questions related to systems design, cloud infrastructure, and coding challenges. Be ready to discuss your thought process and decision-making when building scalable solutions.
How to prepare for a job interview at Nihires
✨Showcase Your Technical Skills
Be prepared to discuss your proficiency in backend languages like Go or Python. Bring examples of your past work, especially projects where you built systems from scratch, as this will demonstrate your hands-on experience and technical depth.
✨Demonstrate Systems Design Knowledge
Expect questions about systems design and scalability. Be ready to explain how you would model real-world systems, considering factors like latency and trade-offs. This will show that you can think critically about architecture.
✨Discuss Your Experience with Cloud Infrastructure
Highlight any experience you have with cloud platforms like AWS or GCP. If you've used Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform, mention these as they are valuable for building scalable systems efficiently.
✨Emphasise Your Problem-Solving Approach
As an engineer first, be ready to talk about how you solve problems through code. Share specific examples of challenges you've faced and how you overcame them, showcasing your ability to iterate and validate assumptions quickly.