Key Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership: Architect AI-first, context-aware commerce flows from inspiration to purchase Lead the creation of a “fan journey operating system” connecting web, app, live and post-event experiences Lead company-wide AI adoption strategy across sales, operations, and customer-facing products Define and execute the company’s 3-5 year technology roadmap aligned with business growth Drive platform architecture decisions for ticketing, payments, and cashless infrastructure Define 3-5 year roadmap for data products (Pulse and Super App) evolution, including monetisation strategy, feature prioritisation, and market positioning Lead technology due diligence for M and A opportunities and strategic partnerships Represent the company’s technical capabilities to investors, partners, and enterprise clients Build and scale engineering culture supporting rapid innovation and operational excellence Technical Oversight: Oversee platform infrastructure supporting high-volume event processing and settlement workflows Drive AI/ML integration for sales automation, fraud detection, and predictive analytics Ensure platform scalability, security, and compliance (PCI-DSS, financial regulations) Own technical debt management and architecture modernization initiatives Lead build vs. buy decisions for core platform capabilities Team and Operational: Build, mentor, and scale engineering team from current 8-person foundation Establish engineering standards, processes, and KPIs Collaborate with CPO on product-technology alignment Manage technology budget, vendor relationships, and resource allocation Foster cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Operations, and Finance teams Required Experience and Skills: Must Have: 10 years software engineering experience with 5 years in senior technology leadership Proven track record scaling platforms handling payments, transactions, or high-volume processing Experience with Ruby on Rails (non-negotiable) and similar web frameworks (hands-on within the last 5 years) Led engineering teams through 5x-10x growth phases Strong understanding of payment systems, settlement processes, and financial compliance Experience representing technology to C-suite, boards, and investors Track record building engineering culture and attracting top technical talent Highly Desirable: FinTech, PayTech, or event technology experience Built or scaled platforms processing R500M annual transaction volume Experience with mobile app development and real-time systems Background in South African or emerging market technology environments M and A technology due diligence and integration experience AI/ML implementation experience for business process automation NB – Building with AI Technical Foundation: Deep understanding of: Ruby on Rails, API architecture, microservices, cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP) Strong grasp of: Payment gateway integration, settlement systems, real-time processing Familiar with: Mobile development (iOS/Android), DevOps practices, security best practices Workflow automation, CRM integrations, data analytics platforms
