Chief Technology Officer / Founding CTO

Chief Technology Officer / Founding CTOIndustry: Fintech / Neobank / Payments

Location: Sydney / Hybrid / RemoteAbout the companyWe're an early-stage fintech building modern banking and payments technology from the ground up: secure, scalable, customer-centric financial products designed to operate in a regulated environment.

We're looking for a hands-on Chief Technology Officer / Founding CTO to lead our technology strategy, build the platform, and shape the product from concept through to launch and scale.About the roleThis is a founding leadership role for someone who has walked the path from founding engineer to senior technology leader, who has built a neobank or payments platform from scratch and grown into the kind of leader who can now do it again, faster and better, from the top.You'll define the architecture, select the stack, build the engineering capability, and work closely with the founders to turn product ideas into secure, scalable financial technology. Early on, this is highly hands-on: you're in the code and the architecture decisions. Over time, you'll build the team and operating model needed to scale.This role requires direct, hands-on experience in neobanking, digital banking, payments, wallets, stored value, or transaction platforms. General SaaS or enterprise CTO backgrounds without this domain exposure won't be a fit; we need someone who already understands ledgers, reconciliation, and the specific failure modes of moving other people's money.Key responsibilitiesDefine and lead technology strategy, roadmap, architecture, and executionBuild the core platform: cloud infrastructure, backend systems, APIs, databases, DevOps, monitoring, security, and data foundationsDesign systems fit for payments and digital banking, with ledger integrity, reconciliation, and auditability built in from day oneSelect the stack and engineering practices, drawing on prior experience of what holds up at scale in a regulated environmentStay hands-on: code review, implementation guidance, and technical problem-solvingShape product flows, payment flows, reconciliation processes, and backend operationsEvaluate and manage banking partners, payment processors, KYC/AML vendors, and fraud toolsMake sound build-vs-buy calls based on speed, cost, complexity, and regulatory needHire, mentor, and lead the engineering team as it growsEstablish engineering practices across code review, testing, CI/CD, and release managementPartner closely with founders and stakeholders across product, operations, compliance, and riskAI expectationsAI is a core capability across the business. You'll be expected to:Drive an AI-first approach across the software development lifecycleUse AI tools to materially improve engineering productivity and qualityIdentify high-value AI use cases, including fraud detection and operational efficiencyEnsure appropriate governance, security, and compliance for AI use in a regulated environmentSkills and experience: what's essentialA founder's-eye view of engineering, earned the hard way: you started as a founding or early engineer at a startup, ideally a neobank, payments company, or wallet platform, and grew into a CTO, Head of Engineering, or VP Engineering role.Direct neobank/payments domain experience is non-negotiable: digital banking, wallets, stored value, transaction platforms, card issuing/acquiring, open banking, or closely related regulated fintech.Strong hands-on engineering capability: you can still read and write code, not just review architecture diagramsSolid grounding in cloud infrastructure, backend systems, APIs, databases, cybersecurity, and scalable system designWorking knowledge of payment flows, transaction processing, reconciliation, and controlsComfort operating inside compliance, operational risk, and regulatory constraintsA track record of hiring, mentoring, and building engineering teams from a small baseHighly regardedExperience with card issuing, acquiring, open banking, remittance, KYC/AML, fraud detection, or transaction monitoringAWS, Azure, or GCP experienceExperience scaling an engineering team from a handful of people to a real organizationWhat we're looking forSelf-driven, comfortable owning outcomes without close supervisionHands-on and detail-oriented; willing to get into complex problems personallyCalm and adaptable, with strong critical thinking under uncertaintyPractical and execution-focused, balancing speed, quality, and riskAccountable for both technical and business outcomesWhat we offerA genuine founding technology leadership opportunity, building the platform, team, and culture from the ground upSignificant influence over product, architecture, and company directionA fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with meaningful ownershipCompetitive salary package, with potential equity participation