Chief Technology Officer

CTO – Exciting new Blockchain/Cross Boarder Payment Platform Scale up Founding CTO type role for a research-backed UAE stablecoin payments fintech - own the platform, the architecture and the engineering team. Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE (on-site) Salary: Competitive, tax-free package – 200K-240K Euro tax free + 40,000 AED Education Allowance per child + Business Flights for you and family + 1 month hotel + 25 days + 12 days pubic + private healthcare/dental Job Type: Permanent About the Business An early-stage Abu Dhabi fintech building a blockchain-powered cross-border payments platform. Using stablecoins and a network of regulated banking, custody and liquidity partners, the business helps companies move money across borders faster, at lower cost and with full transparency. It is backed by a leading UAE technology and research organisation, pairing deep cryptographic expertise with a startup operating model, and is building towards a VARA licence. About the Role This is a founding executive hire reporting directly to the CEO. You will own the technology vision and the platform end to end - from stablecoin settlement, wallets and custody through to partner integrations and client-facing APIs. It is a hands-on leadership role: you will set the architecture, review designs and code, build the engineering team from the ground up, and make sure the platform meets VARA's Technology and Information Rulebook and the reliability expected of a 24/7 payment service. You will also be a key voice in the licensing process and with regulators, partners and the Board. What You'll Be Doing Defining and owning the technology strategy, architecture and roadmap, aligned to corridor expansion and regulatory requirements Leading design and delivery of the payment orchestration platform - transaction routing, settlement, ledgering and reconciliation across on-chain and off-chain systems Overseeing stablecoin, wallet and custody integrations (MPC, multisig and third-party custody) alongside the CISO Building robust APIs and integrations with banks, exchange houses, custodians, liquidity providers and payout partners Owning reliability, scalability and incident management for a 24/7 payment service Embedding secure SDLC, testing, change management and release practices that satisfy VARA and UAE data protection requirements Hiring, leading and scaling a high-performing engineering team and specialist partner network Evaluating emerging chains, stablecoins (including AED-backed stablecoins) and payment rails to shape platform and corridor decisions Driving AI-assisted development and automation across engineering and operations, with sensible safeguards Managing the technology budget, vendors and cloud estate, and reporting on technology performance and risk to the CEO and Board What We're Looking For Essential: 12+ years in software engineering, including senior technology leadership in a startup, fintech or payments business Hands-on experience building stablecoin, blockchain, wallet, custody, exchange or similar digital payment infrastructure in production Deep expertise in distributed systems, cloud-native architecture, APIs and payment ledgers - still able to review designs and code personally Strong grasp of public blockchains, smart contracts, key management and on-chain transaction flows UAE experience, with working knowledge of VARA (particularly the Technology and Information Rulebook) and CBUAE requirements A track record of building and scaling engineering teams and managing technology partners Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field Able to meet VARA fit and proper requirements; based in, or willing to relocate to, the UAE Desirable: Advanced degree in a relevant discipline Practical experience with AI-assisted development workflows and an honest view of their limits Prior involvement in a VARA or comparable virtual asset licensing process What's On Offer Competitive, tax-free executive package (details on application) Executive-level role reporting directly to the CEO, with Board visibility The chance to shape the business from the ground up at founding-team stage Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE If this sounds like the right move for you, apply now. Set2Recruit has helped scale Abu Dhabi cutting edge tech groups for over 10yrs and 350 hires and helped and supported these engineers & families into the area. Show more Show less