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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Join us as a CTO to build and own core infrastructure and backend systems.
- Company: Be part of an innovative startup where your engineering skills will shape the future.
- Benefits: Enjoy early-stage equity, high ownership, and a fast-paced, bureaucracy-free environment.
- Why this job: This role offers the chance to lead technology and make impactful decisions from day one.
- Qualifications: Proficient in modern backend languages with strong systems design skills; greenfield work experience preferred.
- Other info: Ideal for engineers who thrive on problem-solving and want to grow into a leadership role.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 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
Network with other tech founders and engineers in your area. Attend meetups, conferences, or online forums where you can connect with like-minded individuals. This can help you gain insights into what startups are looking for in a CTO and may even lead to referrals.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your hands-on coding skills by contributing to open-source projects or building your own side projects. This not only demonstrates your technical abilities but also your passion for coding and innovation, which is crucial for a role like this.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your experience with building scalable systems and your approach to system design. Be ready to share specific examples of challenges you've faced and how you overcame them, as this will highlight your problem-solving skills and technical depth.
✨Tip Number 4
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in cloud infrastructure and modern backend languages. Being well-versed in these areas will not only boost your confidence during interviews but also show that you're committed to staying current in the fast-evolving tech landscape.
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 modern backend languages, systems design, and cloud infrastructure. Emphasise any greenfield projects you've worked on, as this aligns with the role's requirements.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for building production systems from scratch. Discuss your technical opinions and how they can contribute to the company's vision. Mention any relevant startup experience or leadership potential.
Showcase Relevant Projects: Include links to your GitHub or portfolio showcasing projects that demonstrate your skills in API design, data modelling, and scalable services. Highlight any experience with testing and deploying production systems.
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 systems, as this will be crucial during interviews.
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 any greenfield projects, to demonstrate your hands-on coding abilities and systems design skills.
✨Understand the Company’s Vision
Research the startup's mission and product direction. Be ready to discuss how your technical expertise can align with their goals and how you can contribute to shaping the technology at a company-defining level.
✨Discuss Scalability and Reliability
Prepare to talk about your experience with building scalable systems and ensuring code quality. Highlight any relevant projects where you designed APIs or data models that handled significant loads or required high reliability.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Potential
Even if you're applying for a technical role, show that you have the ambition to lead. Discuss how you've laid groundwork for teams in the past, such as establishing processes or tooling, and express your vision for future engineering leadership.
