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

CTO/ Lead Engineer