Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Founding Executive

About the role

Ethel Holdings PLC, a newly established holding company entering Ethiopia’s IT landscape, is looking for a founding Chief Technology Officer. The CTO will shape the technology vision, build the development foundation from scratch, and lead the delivery of multiple digital platforms across Android, iOS, and web.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end product development for all ventures, deciding between building in‑house or purchasing external solutions.
• Define technical strategy, roadmap, and architecture, ensuring scalability, security, and suitability for low‑bandwidth and local payment integrations.
• Deliver native Android, native iOS, and responsive web applications simultaneously.
• Act as the primary developer and architect in the early stage, establishing coding standards and releasing the first working versions.
• Recruit, interview, and hire developers, QA engineers, UI/UX designers, DevOps, and support staff; build and mentor a high‑performing engineering team.
• Oversee operational processes, vendor selections, and continuous improvement of development workflows.

Required profile

• Hands‑on visionary leader with experience building technology foundations for startups or new ventures.
• Proven ability to manage full product lifecycles from concept to launch and scale.
• Strong understanding of local market constraints such as low bandwidth, local banking integration, and mapping requirements.
• Excellent team‑building and mentorship skills, capable of growing an engineering organization.

Required skills

• Android development
• iOS development
• Web development (responsive/PWA)
• Cloud infrastructure
• Software architecture