CTO

We are exclusively partnering with a newly launched digital-first challenger bank based in the Gulf region to appoint a founding Chief Technology Officer (CTO). As a key member of the executive leadership team, this individual will be responsible for building and leading the technology strategy, architecture, and delivery for the bank from the ground up.

The CTO will oversee a modular, cloud-native, API-first platform supporting multi-currency transactional banking, collateralised lending, and custody of digital assets. The platform is designed to meet the highest standards of scalability, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance, and will incorporate cutting-edge AI capabilities from inception.

Key Responsibilities:

Technology Leadership & Strategy

• Define and implement the end-to-end technology roadmap aligned to business goals and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the development of a modern, scalable tech stack, with cloud-native and microservices architecture at its core.
• Ensure compliance with local and international regulatory standards, with a strong focus on system security and resilience.

Platform Development & Integration

• Lead third-party vendor selection and integration for core systems (e.g., banking platform, compliance tools, custodians, payment infrastructure).
• Oversee the delivery of customer-facing channels (web, mobile) and internal systems (admin, operations, analytics dashboards).
• Ensure seamless API-based integration across onboarding, payments, client servicing, and product workflows.

Cybersecurity & Risk Management

• Develop a comprehensive cybersecurity and IT risk framework, including controls for access, data integrity, monitoring, and incident response.
• Collaborate closely with Compliance to align technology risks with regulatory frameworks.
• Manage data governance, disaster recovery, and secure cloud operations.

Data & AI Infrastructure

• Build data pipelines and scalable storage to support advanced analytics and AI use cases.
• Enable real-time operational and financial monitoring through structured data architecture.
• Support intelligent automation, credit decisioning, and predictive insights across the business.

Governance & Vendor Oversight

• Lead contract negotiations, SLAs, and performance reviews with technology vendors and partners.
• Maintain a clear technology ownership model across internal and external teams.
• Represent technology function in executive and board-level governance forums, providing strategic updates and risk assessments.

AI & Innovation Enablement

• Drive the bank’s AI-first technology vision, embedding automation and intelligence into core architecture.
• Establish an AI engineering function and innovation lab to experiment with new use cases under strong governance.
• Lead adoption of explainable and regulatory-aligned AI tools across business lines.

Ideal Profile:

• 12–15 years of progressive experience in technology leadership roles within digital banking, fintech, or regulated financial environments.
• Proven track record of building and scaling cloud-native platforms.
• Deep understanding of open banking, third-party integrations, and secure API ecosystems.
• Hands-on experience with vendor platforms (e.g., Mambu or similar core banking systems) is a strong advantage.
• Exposure to custody, payments, digital assets, or treasury platforms is highly desirable.

Personal Traits:

• A visionary technologist who thrives in high-growth, build-from-scratch environments.
• Practical and execution-focused; capable of hands-on delivery and team leadership.
• Strong communicator with the ability to engage effectively across executive, regulatory, and technical audiences.
• Passionate about innovation, automation, and creating client-centric digital experiences.

Why This Role?

This is a unique opportunity to shape the entire technology architecture of a next-generation digital bank from day one. The appointed CTO will be a central figure in shaping the institution’s long-term digital capabilities and will have a clear runway into broader group-level technology leadership roles as the platform expands across the region.

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