At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and code as a hands-on CTO, driving our innovative People-OS for hospitality.
- Company: Join a dynamic startup focused on transforming the hospitality industry.
- Benefits: Equity stake, flexible hours, and full ownership of tech direction.
- Other info: Opportunity to grow a small team and make a real impact.
- Why this job: Be a co-founder and shape a product that prioritises people and wellbeing.
- Qualifications: Senior full-stack engineer with experience in SaaS and AI.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 120000 £ per year.
We're looking for our technical co-founder, a hands-on Founding CTO who codes, architects, and leads from the front. Not an advisor. Not a manager-from-a-distance. The person who will sit in the codebase with us, set the technical direction, lead a small team of 2-3 engineers, and personally get this product to demo and into production with real hotels.
About Your Own Circle & Mira
We're building Mira - the People Operating System for hospitality. One platform that runs the entire employee experience across a hotel group: daily operations (SOPs, checklists, rotas, training), wellbeing (anonymous feedback, mood, recognition), HR & compliance (policies, e-signatures, documents, GDPR-grade audit trails), performance (KPIs and goals), and an AI colleague woven through all of it, supporting frontline staff, managers, HR, and executives 24/7. It's built multi-tenant from the ground up: organisation -> property -> department -> team, so a single group can run every hotel from one system, with the right people seeing the right data and nothing more.
Our mission is to make hospitality a place people want to stay, not leave, by turning culture, wellbeing, and operations into measurable business outcomes: lower burnout and turnover, better communication, and higher guest satisfaction. We've validated the concept with strong interest from top-tier hotel groups and are moving into pilot launches. This is a real product, not a slide deck. There's a working multi-tenant platform already built. Your job is to take it the rest of the way, harden it, scale it, and make it production-ready for hospitality pilots - to an investor- and enterprise-grade bar.
What you'll do:
- Own the full technical strategy and architecture end-to-end.
- Stay hands-on, write and review production code daily, not just direct it.
- Lead and grow a small engineering team (2-3 developers): set the bar, review PRs, unblock, mentor.
- Drive the product from MVP to demo-ready to production launch with our pilot hotels.
- Own the things that matter for B2B trust: multi-tenant isolation, security, GDPR/privacy, AI safety, reliability.
- Partner with the founding team on product, and contribute to fundraising and partnership conversations as a true co-founder.
What you'll work with:
- Backend: Node.js / NestJS (modular monolith), PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, multi-tenant row-level security.
- AI: LLM-powered assistant with retrieval over company SOPs/data (RAG), tenant-scoped and privacy-first.
- Infra: AWS (CDK / ECS Fargate), CI/CD, security & compliance gates.
Who you are:
- Senior full-stack engineer who has shipped and scaled real production SaaS, ideally multi-tenant B2B.
- Genuinely hands-on and stays hands-on by choice, even while leading.
- Experience building with LLMs / AI in production (RAG, model APIs, prompt/eval, AI safety), not just experimenting.
- Comfortable owning security, data privacy (GDPR), and architecture for a platform enterprises will trust with their people's data.
- Has led a small team and raised the engineering bar: code review, testing, delivery discipline.
- Startup DNA: high ownership, fast, pragmatic, thrives with ambiguity.
Bonus:
- Hospitality, HR-tech, or wellbeing/people-analytics domain experience.
- Mobile (frontline/low-connectivity) and offline-first thinking.
The offer:
Join as a true co-founder with a meaningful, equal equity stake (vesting-based). Part-time while we get to pilot, full-time from pilot stage onward. Full ownership of tech direction and the chance to build a category-defining product that puts people first.
If you read 'hands-on, lead a small team, take a real product to production with hotels' and felt pulled in, let's talk. Tell us one thing you've personally built and shipped that you're proud of.
Founding CTO / Technical Co-Founder (Hands-On Full-Stack + AI) - building the People-OS for hos[...] in London employer: Your Own Circle
At Mira, we are not just building a product; we are creating a transformative People Operating System for the hospitality industry. As a Founding CTO, you will be at the forefront of innovation, working in a dynamic and collaborative environment that values hands-on leadership and technical excellence. With a commitment to employee wellbeing and a culture that fosters growth, you will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of hospitality while enjoying meaningful equity and a supportive team atmosphere.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding CTO / Technical Co-Founder (Hands-On Full-Stack + AI) - building the People-OS for hos[...] in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Your Own Circle or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Your Own Circle.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Your Own Circle.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Your Own Circle that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Founding CTO / Technical Co-Founder (Hands-On Full-Stack + AI) - building the People-OS for hos[...] in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Your Own Circle.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Your Own Circle and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Your Own Circle
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Your Own Circle uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
