CTO / Platform Architect

Open English is seeking a hands on CTO / Platform Architect to lead the greenfield buildout of a unified, AI native learning platform. This person will own the technical vision and architecture, consolidate multiple legacy platforms into one scalable ecosystem, establish the company’s AI native engineering strategy, and build a small, high caliber engineering team.

This is not a traditional migration or modernization project. Open English is replacing its existing technology stack and rebuilding its learning ecosystem from the ground up into a single platform supporting Open English Adult, Open English Junior, and Open Mundo.

Reporting directly to the CEO and partnering closely with executive leadership, this person will define the technology stack, make foundational architecture decisions, personally contribute to core platform development, hire senior engineers, and establish an agentic first engineering culture.

This is a highly technical leadership role for someone who can operate as both a builder and architect. The ideal candidate should think like a technical founder, remain actively involved in engineering, challenge assumptions, translate business objectives into technical strategy, and build a high autonomy organization capable of delivering quickly without sacrificing scalability, security, or quality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the greenfield platform architecture: Define and lead the buildout of a unified, AI native learning platform that consolidates Open English Adult, Open English Junior, and Open Mundo into one scalable ecosystem.
• Set the technical strategy: Select the technology stack, architecture patterns, platform roadmap, engineering standards, and foundational technical decisions required to support long term scalability, security, performance, and maintainability.
• Build core platform capabilities: Architect and contribute to foundational services including APIs, authentication, API gateways, shared services, integration layers, unified data structures, microservices, and cloud infrastructure.
• Lead AI native engineering: Establish agentic engineering workflows, AI assisted development practices, automated review and testing loops, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and the tooling required to accelerate high quality delivery.
• Integrate enterprise systems: Design reliable integration frameworks across CRM, ERP, billing, payments, subscriptions, accounting, and other business critical systems such as Salesforce, NetSuite, Zuora, and Yuno.
• Build and lead a lean senior team: Hire, mentor, and sequence a small group of high autonomy engineers who can own architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, and delivery with limited traditional PM or QA support.
• Partner with executive leadership: Work directly with the CEO, Product, and business leaders to translate business goals into technical strategy, execution plans, investment priorities, timelines, and risk tradeoffs.
• Own technology and vendor decisions: Evaluate AI services, cloud platforms, engineering frameworks, developer tools, and technical vendors with a focus on capability, cost efficiency, scalability, and long term fit.

Must Have Experience:

• Hands on senior technical leadership experience, ideally as a CTO, Technical Architect, VP Engineering, Head of Engineering, Founding Engineer, first technical hire, or similar role.
• Proven experience designing and shipping scalable production software in lean, fast moving, or ambiguous environments.
• Experience owning greenfield platform architecture, including technology stack selection, architectural standards, shared services, APIs, integrations, distributed systems, or microservices.
• Strong cloud architecture experience, preferably AWS, with practical experience across modern infrastructure, DevOps, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, automated testing, deployment automation, and release quality.
• Experience integrating enterprise systems across areas such as CRM, ERP, accounting, billing, subscriptions, payments, or other business critical workflows.
• Practical experience using AI assisted development tools and establishing AI native or agentic engineering workflows.
• Ability to personally contribute to foundational software development while leading architecture, technical reviews, and engineering execution.
• Experience hiring, mentoring, and leading senior engineers in a high autonomy environment.
• Strong product and business judgment, with the ability to translate strategic objectives into technical scope, sequencing, risks, and execution plans.
• Clear communication skills with technical teams, Product leaders, executive leadership, and business stakeholders.
• Professional fluency in English; Spanish proficiency required, ideally conversational or intermediate.
• Willingness to be co located in Latin America.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with EdTech, LMS platforms, online learning, consumer education, or digital learning products.

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• Experience developing unified platforms that support multiple products, brands, user segments, or geographies.
• Experience with child safe environments, COPPA, GDPR K, or similar privacy and compliance requirements.
• Experience with AI tutors, personalization engines, LLM orchestration, model routing, AI native platforms, or agentic frameworks.
• Prior experience as a startup CTO, Founding Engineer, first technical hire, or early technical leader in a founder led or high growth environment.
• Experience building both customer facing products and internal operational tools.
• Evidence of a strong builder mindset through personal projects, open source contributions, AI experimentation, or visible technical craftsmanship.
• GCP or Azure experience may be considered if supported by strong cloud architecture fundamentals.

Location:

• Latin America co location is required.
• Priority locations include Bogotá, Colombia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Medellín, Colombia.
• U.S. based candidates may be considered only if they are willing to relocate to Latin America.

Compensation Range:

• Latin America: Approximately $170,000 to $220,000 base salary, depending on experience, location, technical depth, and overall fit.
• United States: Approximately $250,000 to $400,000 base salary, plus potential bonus and equity. U.S. based candidates must be open to relocation to Latin America.
• Final compensation will depend on candidate location, experience level, technical depth, AI native engineering experience, leadership background, and total compensation package.