Co-Founder Chief Technology Officer

ABOUT adderley.co

adderley.co is an integrated operating platform — multiple connected verticals, one shared infrastructure. We operate with financial discipline, operational excellence, and a culture built on people and performance.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are looking for a Co-Founder Chief Technology Officer, someone who can set the technical direction and do the work. This person owns the architecture and builds it. This is a contract-to-full-time role. Equity is part of the conversation from day one.

REPORTING STRUCTURE

The role reports directly to the Founder and CEO and sits at the leadership table from day one. The role carries full technical authority — architecture, tooling, infrastructure, and build decisions are owned by this person. Day-to-day execution is self-directed with regular strategic touchpoints with the founder.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technology Strategy & Ownership

· Define the technical architecture, standards, and principles that will underpin the platform as it scales

· Evaluate and decide on tooling, infrastructure, and platforms across all products

· Align technology decisions with business objectives across the portfolio

· Establish the foundation for a future engineering function — hiring standards, documentation, and operating processes

· Identify and manage technical risk, surfacing issues early with clear solutions

Hands-On Build & Delivery

· Design, build, and maintain scalable backend systems — databases, APIs, business logic, and authentication

· Build production-quality, mobile-responsive front-end experiences across active products

· Integrate third-party platforms and services via REST APIs, webhooks, and authentication protocols

· Build and manage payment and billing systems including subscription management and failure handling

· Design and implement workflow automations that reduce manual operations and connect systems

· Integrate AI and LLM capabilities — API connections, prompt engineering, and data retrieval pipelines

Data Management & Compliance

· Design and manage relational databases — schema, indexing, integrity, and query performance

· Implement data privacy and security practices in line with applicable regulatory requirements, including healthcare data standards where relevant

· Compliance is foundational — built in from the start, not retrofitted

Documentation & Communication

· Translate business requirements into clear technical specifications

· Document architecture, integrations, data flows, and procedures to a standard that supports future team growth

· Proactive communication on progress, risks, and timelines

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education

· A degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related discipline is preferred

· Equivalent demonstrated experience will be considered

Experience

· Minimum 5 years of professional experience in a technical role — engineering, IT, or systems development

· Prior experience as a CTO, VP of Engineering, technical lead, or founding engineer — formal or otherwise

· Track record of delivering production systems end-to-end, not prototypes

· Experience setting technical direction with long-term architectural consequences

· Full-stack capability — database to user interface, no gaps

· Payment and billing system integration experience

· AI and LLM integration experience in production applications

· Comfortable in compliance-sensitive environments including healthcare data standards

· Experience working directly with founders or in high-ownership environments

Preferred

· Taken a product from initial build to live paying users

· Background across both traditional development and no-code or low-code delivery

· Experience building and hiring a technical team

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

Technical

· Full-stack development across backend and frontend

· API design, integration, and management — REST, webhooks, OAuth

· Relational database design, management, and optimisation

· Payment systems and billing lifecycle management

· AI and LLM API integration and prompt engineering

· Workflow automation design and implementation

· Security, data privacy, and compliance-aware system design

Leadership & Professional

· Sets technical direction and defends decisions with clear reasoning

· System and tool agnostic — assesses on merit, learns what the job requires

· Accountable to outcomes, not activity

· Strong written communication in async-first environments

· Sound judgement on trade-offs between speed, quality, and scalability

· High standards for documentation and operational readiness

COMPENSATION & TERMS

This position begins as a contract engagement with a genuine and expected conversion to full-time within 3 to 6 months.

Equity is a core part of this offer. The technology this person builds is foundational to the platform.

NOTABLE ITEMS THAT WILL BE REVIEWED

· Who you are, your background, and why this is of interest

· 2 to 3 production systems you have built or played a primary role in delivering

· Your availability in hours per week and earliest start date

Applications without relevant work examples will not be progressed.

All enquiries are treated with strict confidentiality.