CTO / Head of Engineering / Team Lead

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or Cape Town, SA (Remote, Full-Time)
Compensation: $4,000–$5,000+ USD/month, commensurate with experience

We’re looking for a highly technical engineering leader who can jump into existing projects, move fast, make strong technical decisions, and lead a small but high-performing team.

This is a hands-on role for someone who is both an exceptional individual contributor and an engineering leader, with deep experience building and integrating AI-powered products.

What You’ll Do

  • Lead architecture and technical direction across backend and full-stack systems
  • Build and integrate AI/ML-powered features and workflows into production products
  • Work with LLMs and modern AI tooling to accelerate product development
  • Jump into active projects and quickly become productive
  • Ship production-quality code fast and reliably
  • Lead and mentor developers while maintaining a high engineering bar
  • Debug complex issues across systems and infrastructure
  • Use modern AI-assisted development workflows (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, etc.)
  • Collaborate closely with product and leadership teams

Requirements

  • 5+ years of production software development experience
  • 2+ years leading engineering teams or acting as a tech lead
  • Strong backend engineering experience (full-stack preferred)
  • Proven experience integrating AI/ML models into production applications
  • Experience working with LLM APIs, AI agents, embeddings, RAG systems, or related AI infrastructure
  • Ability to rapidly understand unfamiliar codebases and execute independently
  • Experience with modern coding practices and AI-assisted development
  • Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
  • Strong English speaking and writing skills
  • High ownership mentality and ability to move without heavy supervision
  • Excellent communication and leadership skills

Nice to Have

Experience with our stack or similar technologies:

  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Go
  • Swift / iOS development
  • AI infrastructure and model deployment

Ideal Candidate

  • Extremely strong technically — the type who becomes “the smartest person in the room”
  • Fast learner who thrives in startup environments
  • Comfortable wearing multiple hats
  • Pragmatic builder who focuses on shipping
  • Excellent communicator in English, both written and verbal
  • Deeply familiar with leveraging AI tools to accelerate engineering productivity
  • Excited about building AI-native products and systems

Compensation & Benefits

  • Full-time remote role
  • Competitive salary: $4k–$5k USD/month
  • Flexible work environment
  • Opportunity to help shape engineering culture and product direction from an early stage

To apply, send:

  • Resume/CV
  • GitHub or portfolio
  • Brief description of projects you’ve led or shipped
  • Examples of AI/ML systems or integrations you’ve built
  • Examples of how you use AI tools in development workflows

Requirements

  • 5+ years of production software development experience
  • 2+ years leading engineering teams or acting as a tech lead
  • Strong backend engineering experience (full-stack preferred)
  • Proven experience integrating AI/ML models into production applications
  • Experience working with LLM APIs, AI agents, embeddings, RAG systems, or related AI infrastructure
  • Ability to rapidly understand unfamiliar codebases and execute independently
  • Experience with modern coding practices and AI-assisted development
  • Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
  • Strong English speaking and writing skills
  • High ownership mentality and ability to move without heavy supervision
  • Excellent communication and leadership skills

Benefits

  • Full-time remote role
  • Competitive salary: $4k–$5k USD/month
  • Flexible work environment
  • Opportunity to help shape engineering culture and product direction from an early stage