We are partnering with a venture-backed, early-stage technology company building a programmable loyalty and rewards operating system for global consumer brands. The platform enables brands to launch white-label fan engagement and monetisation experiences—including predictions, quests, digital drops, auctions, and ticketing—without gambling mechanics.

At its core, the platform combines consumer-grade applications with a tokenised exchange and settlement layer, enabling branded tokens to be issued, traded, and distributed at scale. Initial verticals are in global sports and entertainment, with expansion planned into additional IP-driven markets.

The company is now seeking a Founding CTO to lead the architecture and build-out of its protocol, exchange infrastructure, and engineering organisation from day one.

As Founding CTO, you will be responsible for designing, building, and scaling the full technical stack, with a particular focus on the exchange and protocol layer. You will oversee smart contract development, liquidity and market mechanics, wallet infrastructure, and the integration between on-chain systems and high-scale consumer products.

This is a hands-on leadership role suited to a senior Web3 technologist who has shipped production protocols and wants full ownership of technical strategy in a greenfield environment.

Responsibilities

• Exchange & protocol architecture
• Design and deploy a hybrid AMM / orderbook-based exchange for branded tokens
• Build liquidity pools, routing logic, and market-making infrastructure
• Define token economics, liquidity incentives, and trading mechanics
• Smart contracts
• Develop, test, and deploy core protocol contracts, including:
• Token standards
• Liquidity pools and staking
• Rewards distribution and governance
• Lead audit processes and ensure a strong on-chain security posture
• Wallet & settlement infrastructure
• Implement abstracted wallet solutions (e.g. smart accounts, MPC)
• Integrate fiat on/off-ramps and external custody providers where required
• Platform integration
• Oversee architecture connecting the protocol layer to:
• Engagement mechanics (predictions, quests, missions)
• Rewards and commerce systems (drops, auctions, ticketing, merchandise)
• Analytics and reporting dashboards
• Consumer products
• Guide development of mobile (iOS/Android) and web applications delivered under partner branding
• Leadership & strategy
• Hire, lead, and scale the engineering team across protocol, backend, and product
• Set engineering standards, development workflows, and technical roadmap
• Make strategic build-vs-buy decisions and select vendors and tooling

Qualifications

• 5+ years building blockchain or crypto infrastructure
• Proven experience shipping at least one protocol or exchange to mainnet
• Deep understanding of DeFi mechanics (AMMs, liquidity mining, tokenomics)
• Strong production smart contract experience with a clean audit track record
• Experience working with L2s, rollups, or app-chains
• Familiarity with consumer-facing systems and real-time platforms
• Comfortable operating in early-stage, resource-constrained environments
• Able to balance protocol purity with product and user experience needs
• Strong communicator across technical and non-technical stakeholders

Technical environment

• Smart contracts: Solidity (advanced), Foundry / Hardhat, formal verification fundamentals
• Languages: TypeScript/JavaScript, Rust or Go, Python
• Infrastructure: RPC operations, indexers/subgraphs, GCP, Docker/Kubernetes
• Security: Audit coordination, attack vector mitigation (reentrancy, flash loans, oracle risk), monitoring and incident response
• Product stack exposure: React Native or Flutter, PostgreSQL, Redis, event streaming (useful for protocol-to-product integration)

We are supporting a venture-backed, early-stage technology company building a white-label consumer engagement and rewards platform for global brands. The platform enables large-scale fan and customer experiences (e.g. predictions, quests, digital rewards, ticketing and commerce) while incorporating tokenised settlement and rewards infrastructure.

This role represents a true greenfield build. The Founding CTO will define the overall system architecture, technical standards, and engineering culture from day one, while delivering a production-grade platform designed to scale to millions of users.

As Founding CTO, you will take end-to-end ownership of the technology organisation, from initial architecture and hands-on development through to team build-out and long-term technical strategy.

You will work closely with founders and commercial stakeholders, translating product vision into scalable systems and ensuring the platform can support multiple partners, brands, and regions.

Responsibilities

• Platform & architecture
• Define and build the core platform architecture supporting engagement mechanics, rewards, commerce, and analytics
• Establish system design principles covering scalability, security, and performance
• Make key build-vs-buy decisions and select vendors, tooling, and infrastructure partners
• Backend & infrastructure
• Architect and implement backend services supporting real-time event ingestion, points/wallet systems, identity, and compliance controls
• Design robust data pipelines, storage, and API layers
• Own production readiness, including monitoring, alerting, SLOs, and incident response processes
• Consumer products
• Oversee development of mobile (iOS/Android) and web applications delivered under partner branding
• Ensure high-quality user experience across consumer touchpoints
• Token & rewards infrastructure
• Lead design and integration of tokenised reward systems, including smart contracts and distribution logic
• Manage wallet integrations and fiat on/off-ramps in collaboration with external providers
• Integrations
• Build and maintain APIs connecting to external data feeds, ticketing systems, commerce platforms, and sponsor tools
• Leadership & team
• Hire, mentor, and scale a high-performing engineering team
• Establish engineering standards, documentation practices, and development workflows
• Act as a hands-on technical leader while progressively transitioning to strategic oversight

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience building consumer-facing technology products
• Proven experience delivering at least one 0-to-1 platform
• Track record of shipping and operating products at scale (100K+ users)
• Strong backend engineering background (distributed systems, real-time data, API design)
• Experience designing production-grade systems with high reliability requirements
• Comfortable working across frontend, backend, and infrastructure layers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills (architecture docs, technical strategy, roadmap planning)

Strongly preferred

• Experience with loyalty, gaming, or marketplace-style mechanics (e.g. rewards, auctions, prediction-style systems)
• Familiarity with blockchain or tokenised systems (smart contracts, wallets, settlement flows)
• Background in security-sensitive or compliance-aware systems
• Experience building white-label or multi-tenant platforms

Technical environment (current / planned)

• Languages: TypeScript/JavaScript, Node.js, Python; Go or Rust exposure is a plus
• Mobile: React Native or Flutter; native iOS (Swift) / Android (Kotlin) experience advantageous
• Infrastructure: Cloud-native (GCP), Docker/Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines
• Data: PostgreSQL, Redis, event streaming (Kafka or equivalent)
• Web3 exposure: Solidity fundamentals, wallet integrations, token mechanics

About Us

AIFT is a group of innovative businesses with a shared vision to become the security layer of the future, providing cybersecurity and insurance protection for digital mega trends including AI, Web3 and future lifestyles.​ AIFT strategically identifies under-served markets within these mega trends where it can quickly make an impact and lead innovation.​  

Vulcan is AIFT’s latest groundbreaking product suite comprising GenAI security, safety, and compliance tools, from assessment through protection. 

If you are passionate about making a unique impact, as well as securing the future for enterprises through delivering cybersecurity for GenAI - one of the most disruptive and fastest-growing technology trends - this is the role for you.  

Learn more about how we deliver transformation at: https://vulcanlab.ai/   

Position Overview 

The Chief of Staff partners closely with the senior leadership team to drive alignment, strengthen execution, and ensure the company focuses on the highest-leverage priorities. This role blends strategy, communication, and cross-functional coordination. The ideal candidate thrives in ambiguity, adapts as the organization scales, and works comfortably across technical and operational domains within an AI safety and security context.  

Key Responsibilities 

1. Strategic Planning & Execution 

• Translate leadership priorities into clear, actionable plans across teams. 

• Support or lead cross-functional initiatives spanning engineering, product, safety, and operations. 

• Surface risks, dependencies, and decision points early. 

• Prepare strategic briefs, analyses, and materials to assist leadership decision-making. 

2. Senior Leadership Enablement 

• Filter and prioritize information, requests, and decisions for the leadership team. 

• Facilitate coordination across leaders to reduce friction and accelerate execution. 

• Ensure leaders are prepared for key meetings, milestones, and external engagements. 

• Represent leadership in internal or external settings when alignment or follow-through is needed. 

3. Operational Excellence 

• Build scalable systems for planning, communication, and execution as the company grows. 

• Improve operating cadences, including leadership syncs, retrospectives, and quarterly planning. 

• Identify and resolve organizational or operational bottlenecks. 

• Promote consistent, effective cross-team collaboration. 

4. Internal Communications & Culture 

• Draft internal updates, leadership communications, and planning documents. 

• Maintain coherent, transparent information flow across teams. 

• Reinforce a culture that balances speed, rigor, and accountability. 

5. Special Projects 

• Lead or support projects that intersect multiple teams or require high trust and structured execution. 

• Coordinate initiatives related to safety practices, security posture, partnerships, or research. 

• Run diligence and planning work for new opportunities or organizational changes 

Qualifications 

Required: 

• Experience in strategy, operations, consulting, product, or similar cross-functional roles. 

• Ability to understand and communicate technical concepts. 

• Strong writing, structuring, and analytical skills. 

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex initiatives involving multiple leaders or teams. 

• High discretion and strong judgment in sensitive or high-stakes situations 

Preferred: 

• Experience in early-stage, fast-paced environments. 

• Exposure to AI, cybersecurity, or research-heavy organizations. 

• Prior work with senior executives or technical leaders. 

 Why Join Us? 

• Innovative Environment: Be part of a company at the forefront of technology to provide security in GenAI, with opportunities to work on groundbreaking projects. 
• Growth Opportunities: Take your career to new heights with our career development programs and growth-focused culture. 
• Dynamic Team: Join a multi-cultural and dynamic team of dedicated professionals who inspire and support each other. 
• Compensation: Competitive salary and benefits package, commensurate with experience and performance. 

Application Process 

• If you're ready to embark on this exciting journey and contribute to shaping the future of GenAI security, please submit your resume outlining your relevant experience and motivation for applying.