Scope and General Purpose
The Chief Technology Officer’s role is to assure the successful execution of the company’s business mission through development and deployment of the company’s technology presence. This requires envisioning the company’s service offerings as a technology-based business, leading implementation of its applications, and planning for risk and growth.
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) reports to the CEO and is responsible for establishing the company’s technical vision and leading all aspects of the company’s technology development.
1. Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategy & Planning
- In partnership with the company’s CEO, identify opportunities and risks for delivering the company’s services as a technology-based business, including identification of competitive services, opportunities for innovation, and assessment of marketplace obstacles and technical hurdles to the business success.
- Identify technology trends and evolving social behavior that may support or impede the success of the business.
- Evaluate and identify appropriate technology platforms (including technology application frameworks) for delivering the company’s services.
- Lead strategic planning to achieve business goals by identifying and prioritizing development initiatives and setting timetables for the evaluation, development, and deployment of all technology-based services.
- Participate as a member of the senior management team in establishing governance processes of direction and control to ensure that objectives are achieved, risks are managed appropriately and the organization’s resources are used responsibly, particularly in the areas of technology development, office networks and telecommunications.
- Collaborate with the appropriate departments to assess and recommend technologies that support company organizational needs.
- Direct development and execution of an enterprise-wide information security plan that protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the company’s data and servers.
- Direct development and execution of an enterprise-wide disaster recovery and business continuity plan.
- Communicate the company’s technology strategy to investors, management, staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders.
Implementation & Deployment
- Collaborate with the founders and potential customers to develop use cases and specifications that describe the implementation of the company’s services as an application.
- Select or define the company’s software development methodology.
- Review current best practices for the selected standard technology framework and establish the initial architecture for the application.
- Establish and supervise the software development process, setting short-term objectives and assessing progress as defined by the selected software development methodology.
- Establish and supervise a quality assurance process, including integration and system testing.
- Select, deploy, and monitor performance profiling tools and procedures.
- Review and approve proposed development releases and manage the release process.
- As a member of the senior management team, establish a customer service and support process, with particular responsibility for technology-based services that implement the support function.
Operational Management
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of technology standards, industry trends, emerging technologies, and software development best practices by attending relevant conferences and reading widely.
- Define and communicate company values and standards for acquiring or developing systems, equipment, or software within the company.
- Ensure that technology standards and best practices are maintained across the organization.
- Share knowledge, mentor, and educate the organization’s investors, management, staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders with regard to the company’s technological vision, opportunities, and challenges.
- Ensure company technical problems are resolved in a timely and cost-effective manner.
- Develop, track, and control the development and deployment annual operating and capital budgets for purchasing, staffing, and operations.
- Establish standards of performance and monitor conformance for staff (through performance review) and vendors (through service level agreements).
- Ensure the company’s internal technological processes and customer-facing services comply with community expectations and applicable laws and regulations for privacy, security, and social responsibility.
2. Desired Skills & Experience:
- Demonstrated ability to envision web-based services that meet consumer needs or solve business problems.
- At least 10 year experience in Engineering, managing technology application development.
- Familiar with more than one software development methodology.
- Ability to discern user requirements and develop specifications.
- Has contributed to one or more open source projects.
- Knowledge of technology and web standards.
- Exposure to business theory, business process development, governance processes, management, budgeting, and administrative operations.
