Software Engineering Manager / CTO – CPT at Datafin Recruitment

ENVIRONMENT:

• A leading AgriTech company with offices in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who will be responsible for defining and executing the company’s overarching technology vision and strategy.
• As a key member of the executive team, the CTO leads the technology organisation, ensures alignment between product and engineering functions, and drives innovation, scalability, and excellence in delivery. This role ensures the technical foundation of the company enables long-term growth, operational resilience, and market differentiation.

DUTIES:

Technology Vision & Strategy

• Define, communicate, and evolve a long-term technology roadmap aligned with company objectives.
• Translate business and product strategy into actionable technology goals and investments.
• Champion the use of modern technology and architecture to future-proof the platform and accelerate delivery.

Architecture Governance

• Establish and maintain architecture governance processes including tech radar, design review forums, and architecture principles.
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of technology standards, service patterns, integration protocols, and sunset policies.
• Oversee system architecture to ensure coherence, maintainability, and performance across domains.
• Ensure cross-cutting concerns such as observability, scalability, and resilience are addressed by design.

Enterprise-Grade Engineering

• Drive platform maturity, stability, and extensibility to meet the needs of enterprise/B2B customers.
• Ensure systems and data comply with security, regulatory, and integration requirements, including authentication standards, audit trails, and role-based access control.
• Champion API-first, integration-ready thinking in all platforms and product design.
• Lead the definition and enforcement of non-functional requirements for scale, uptime, security, and performance.

Delivery Guardrails & Execution Oversight

Implement delivery guardrails including:

• Feasibility reviews and technical discovery processes.
• Scoping and effort estimation standards.
• Root-cause post mortems and retrospectives.
• Technical debt tracking and prioritisation.
• Partner with the VP of Engineering to drive consistent delivery metrics (e.g., cycle time, DORA metrics, quality gates).
• Maintain a culture of shared ownership and continuous delivery.

AI, Automation & Applied Innovation

• Own the innovation agenda across engineering, with a focus on applied use of AI and automation to improve product intelligence, platform operations, and developer experience.
• Prioritise and lead AI adoption through internal R&D, experimentation, and external partnerships.
• Identify areas for automation across internal tooling, monitoring, testing, and deployment pipelines—and assign ownership for implementation.

Organisational Leadership & Talent Strategy

• Build and lead a high-performing technical organisation across architecture, engineering, DevOps, and security.
• Create succession planning for key technical roles and ensure strong leadership pipelines.
• Partner with HR and People teams on engineering career frameworks, development pathways, and high-impact team structures.
• Champion engineering culture and diversity, ensuring an environment where technologists thrive.

Stakeholder & External Engagement

• Serve as the executive interface between Technology and other business units.
• Translate technical vision into language suitable for board and investor conversations.
• Represent the company in industry forums, client meetings, and technical partnerships.

REQUIREMENTS:

Formal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent experience.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in technology leadership roles, including at least 3–5 years as a CTO or equivalent in a SaaS or fast-scaling tech business.
• Strong foundation in software engineering, systems design, and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Experience scaling engineering teams and tech platforms in high-growth environments.
• Proven ability to make strategic trade-offs between speed, cost, and scale.
• Deep knowledge of modern development methodologies, security standards, DevOps, and architecture frameworks.
• Skilled in stakeholder management, with a track record of aligning cross-functional teams.
• Experience working with or presenting to Boards, investors, and C-level executives.

Job Related Experience

• 10+ years of experience in technology leadership roles, including at least 3–5 years as a CTO or equivalent in a SaaS or fast-scaling tech business.

ATTRIBUTES:

• Innovation-Driven: Embrace a culture of innovation and continuous learning, where creativity and curiosity are encouraged.
• Collaborative Environment: Foster a team-centric environment where open communication, mutual respect, and shared goals are prioritised.
• Commitment to Excellence: Strive for high-quality outcomes, with a focus on delivering value to the business and stakeholders. 
• Integrity and Accountability: Maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct and take responsibility for the quality of work produced.