Chief Technology Officer (Focus on Engineering Management & Delivery) (вакансія неактивна)

About Artkai

At Artkai, we help mid-market and enterprise businesses modernize software, automate business processes, and build AI-driven solutions grounded in robust security and corporate governance. Powered by the synergy of senior engineering and AI, our approach delivers measurable business outcomes across every project.

Position Type: Full-Time

Duration: long-term contract

Location: On-site in Dubai, UAE (Regular physical presence required)

Seniority: 10+ years of software engineering experience / Executive level

Executive Summary

We are seeking an experienced Chief Technology Officer who operates with the execution strength and operational rigor of a Senior Engineering Manager / Delivery Director. The ideal candidate will take hands-on ownership of engineering processes, system architecture, and team delivery while acting as the strategic technical leader interface for executive stakeholders.

In this role, you will lead a growing cross-functional team structured across specialized tracks (Architecture Team → Tech/Domain Leads → Engineers). You will take over technical leadership from the Interim CTO, audit and validate a third-party white-label infrastructure (Shift Markets), and optimize end-to-end delivery for a highly regulated financial services platform.

Key Onsite Requirement: This position requires regular, full-time physical presence on-site in Dubai to work closely with executive stakeholders and lead a multicultural team.

Core Responsibilities

• Process & Delivery Management: Establish, enforce, and optimize robust SDLC, Agile frameworks, CI/CD, and release engineering practices across the entire engineering organization.
• Engineering Leadership: Direct and mentor an engineering setup consisting of an Architecture Team, Lead Engineers (Dev/QA/UI), and cross-functional developers.
• Technical Transition: Transition knowledge and responsibilities directly from the Interim CTO during the probationary period.
• Architecture Audit & Validation: Conduct deep-dive technical audits of the Shift Platform white-label integration, validating API boundaries, data flows, and performance bottlenecks.
• High-Load & System Design: Oversee the development and maintenance of high-throughput, low-latency microservices using gRPC, event-driven streaming (Kafka), and caching/big data infrastructure (Redis, ClickHouse).
• Domain Integration: Drive seamless integrations across crypto custody/wallets, fiat payment gateways, order execution, and regulatory compliance tools.
• Risk & Compliance Escalation: Work closely with Compliance teams to ensure architectural adherence to strict regulatory frameworks (e.g., VARA, MiCA) and evidence-based decision making.

Required Technical Stack & Domain Expertise

1. Architecture & Backend Performance

• Deep proficiency in distributed, high-load microservices architecture.
• Strong experience with gRPC protocol, REST/WebSocket APIs, and event-driven architectures utilizing Apache Kafka.
• Hands-on familiarity with high-performance data platforms: Redis (caching/state) and ClickHouse (BigData / analytics).
• Solid experience with cloud-native AWS infrastructure (API Gateway, Lambda, SNS, S3, CloudFront, WAF, EC2, RDS, etc.).
• Backend engineering depth in Java/Kotlin or comparable high-performance stacks.

2. Mandatory FinTech & Crypto Expertise

• Blockchain & Crypto Fundamentals: In-depth understanding of blockchain protocols, crypto trading mechanics, spot orders, derivatives, leverage, and smart contract integrations.
• Payment Gateways & Ledger Design: Demonstrated experience integrating complex fiat payment gateways, crypto funding rails, and immutable/auditable ledger systems.
• Trading Platforms: Experience with platform architectures such as MT5 (MetaTrader 5) or white-label crypto exchange platforms (Shift Markets / Shift Platform APIs).
• Security & Auth: Experience with robust identity management (Auth, JWT, SSO) and perimeter security (WAF, secure SDLC).

3. Client & Mobile Context

• High-level engineering overview of native mobile development (iOS and Android using SwiftUI and Java/Kotlin).

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

• 10+ years in commercial software engineering with at least 3+ years in an architectural or executive engineering role for a production digital-asset exchange, broker, custodian, or regulated FinTech platform.
• Proven track record of building and managing structured engineering teams (at least 20+ headcount).
• Pragmatic Leader: Pragmatic, evidence-based decision-maker with clear and concise communication skills across all levels (engineers to board members).
• Comfortable operating in high-pressure environments, assessing launch readiness, and escalating material technical risks early.
• Language: Advanced to Fluent English (B2-C2 level).

Nice-to-Have Requirements

• Direct experience with Shift Markets Platform / APIs.
• Familiarity with digital-asset custody providers (e.g., Fireblocks, Cobo).
• Experience with KYC/AML tools (Sumsub) and Travel Rule compliance tooling.

• Previous exposure to Middle East regulatory bodies (VARA) or European regulatory standards (MiCA)