Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

About the role

Strivo Labs is looking for an accomplished Chief Technology Officer to lead its technology strategy, architecture, engineering and operations. The ideal candidate has a background in fintech, payments or lending and has built and scaled internal technology teams, moved from outsourced to in-house operations and delivered secure, scalable solutions. The CTO oversees the whole technology function, drives innovation, strengthens information security and regulatory compliance, and aligns technology investments with the organisation's strategic and commercial goals.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the technology strategy, roadmap and architecture aligned with business objectives.
• Lead and scale the internal technology division covering engineering, IT operations, product, data, security and governance.
• Set engineering standards, architectural frameworks, development processes and release management.
• Drive the move from outsourced services to in-house capabilities through knowledge transfer and vendor management.
• Oversee software development, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, system integration, production support and disaster recovery.
• Ensure reliable systems, effective incident management and continuous improvement of operations.
• Enforce information security policies, access controls, vulnerability management and risk frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with data protection laws and financial services regulations.
• Manage technology budgets, vendor relationships and investment decisions.
• Work with executive leadership, the board and partners, and recruit and develop technology leaders.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology or a related field; a postgraduate qualification or MBA is an advantage.
• At least 10 years of technology experience, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role such as CTO, VP of Engineering or Head of Technology.
• Proven experience building and scaling internal engineering teams and moving technology operations from external vendors to in-house teams.
• Experience managing technology budgets, leading cross-functional teams and engaging with executive leadership and investors.

Required skills

• Software architecture, microservices, API design, cloud infrastructure, system integration and data platforms.
• Java, Spring Boot, Angular, AWS, PostgreSQL, Docker, CI/CD pipelines and modern authentication frameworks.
• DevOps, production environments, system reliability and disaster recovery.
• Information security, data protection, technology governance and regulatory compliance in a fintech or regulated environment.

Added advantage: fintech, payments, BNPL, device financing or embedded finance experience; experience in West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana); familiarity with KYC, credit bureau integrations and device security; exposure to workflow automation, business rules engines and AI-driven solutions. Within six months, the CTO is expected to set up the internal technology division, complete the transition of critical knowledge and operations from vendors, implement architecture standards and release governance, establish a security and data protection framework and improve reliability and delivery efficiency.