Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – HR Tech and Payments Business
About the Company
My client is a fast-growing HR tech and payments business that provides cutting-edge solutions for global payroll, workforce management and compliance. Their technology platform enables companies to seamlessly manage payroll, automate payments and maintain compliance across multiple jurisdictions, simplifying global workforce operations.
As a remote-first company, they offer unmatched flexibility, unlimited annual leave, stock options, equity opportunities and performance-based bonuses. This is an opportunity to lead technology innovation in a rapidly expanding company that values automation, scalability and efficiency.
The Role
My client is seeking a visionary and hands-on Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead their technology, engineering and product teams. This role is responsible for driving innovation, enhancing platform scalability and ensuring a seamless customer experience. The CTO will shape the technology strategy, oversee product development and lead the evolution of a cloud-based, automation-first platform that powers global payroll and payments.
This role requires a deep understanding of SaaS, cloud technologies, payments infrastructure and workforce management solutions. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in building, scaling and securing enterprise-grade platforms, along with a strong ability to collaborate across product, commercial and operations teams.
Key Responsibilities
Technology Strategy and Leadership
- Define and execute a scalable, cloud-first technology roadmap that aligns with business growth, ensuring the platform evolves to support global expansion.
- Provide technical leadership across product, engineering and infrastructure, driving innovation while ensuring security, compliance and operational efficiency.
- Champion a culture of automation, leveraging AI, machine learning and DevOps best practices to improve system performance and user experience.
Product Development and Engineering Oversight
- Lead the engineering and product teams in developing and enhancing the company’s core platform, ensuring the delivery of scalable, high-performance solutions.
- Oversee the full product development lifecycle, from concept and architecture to deployment and optimization, ensuring features align with business objectives.
- Establish best practices for software development, security and infrastructure management, ensuring a high standard of quality and performance.
- Drive continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) methodologies to accelerate product releases while maintaining stability and reliability.
Global Payments and Payroll Infrastructure
- Oversee the enhancement of payroll and payments functionality, ensuring seamless cross-border transactions, multi-currency support and regulatory compliance.
- Develop robust fraud prevention, risk management and compliance frameworks to support the global payments infrastructure.
- Build strategic partnerships with payment processors, financial institutions and third-party providers to expand payment capabilities and optimize costs.
Automation, AI and Data Security
- Lead automation initiatives to reduce manual intervention in payroll and payment processing, improving operational efficiency.
- Ensure the company remains at the forefront of AI-driven technology, leveraging automation to enhance product functionality and customer experience.
- Implement best-in-class security measures to protect sensitive payroll and payment data, ensuring compliance with industry regulations such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
Compliance, Risk Management and Governance
- Maintain strong compliance frameworks, ensuring the platform adheres to global regulatory standards for payroll, taxation and financial transactions.
- Lead risk assessment initiatives to mitigate technology-related vulnerabilities and ensure business continuity.
- Oversee security audits and ensure ongoing compliance with international data protection laws.
Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Build and scale a high-performing engineering team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and technical excellence.
- Work closely with the CEO and senior leadership to align technology initiatives with business strategy.
- Collaborate with product, operations and sales teams to understand customer needs and deliver innovative solutions that drive business growth.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a highly experienced technology leader with deep expertise in SaaS, payroll, payments or workforce management solutions. They have a strong track record of building scalable platforms, leading high-performing engineering teams and implementing automation-driven strategies.
Experience and Expertise
- At least 10 years in a senior technology leadership role, ideally as a CTO or VP Engineering in a SaaS or fintech company.
- Extensive experience in global payments, payroll technology or enterprise HR platforms.
- Proven track record in cloud-based architecture, microservices and API-driven development.
- Strong knowledge of compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR.
- Experience managing third-party integrations, payment providers and banking relationships.
- Expertise in automation, AI and machine learning to enhance system performance and scalability.
Skills and Attributes
- Strategic thinker with the ability to align technology with long-term business objectives.
- Hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Passion for automation, with a strong ability to streamline processes and reduce operational complexity.
- Strong problem-solving skills and data-driven decision-making capabilities.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage executive leadership, investors and technical teams.
Why Join?
This is a rare opportunity to lead technology strategy at a high-growth HR tech and payments company. My client offers a fully remote work environment, unlimited annual leave, stock options, equity opportunities and performance-based bonuses. This role is perfect for a technology leader who is passionate about automation, scalability and innovation in global payroll and payments.
Interested?
To learn more, reach out to Shane Esler at Fortis Recruitment at shane@fortis.ie.
