Technical LeadCTO (+ Equity) at Fortalis

This is a job that Jill our AI Recruiter is recruiting for on behalf of one of our customers.

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Job Title: Technical Lead / CTO

Salary: Not Disclosed Equity

Company Description: Fortalis - High-growth defence and national security startup

Job Description:
As the founding technical hire you will architect and build a modular software platform designed for high-consequence environments. Youll integrate disparate data sources and SME technologies into a unified operational picture for national resilience. This is a hands-on leadership role combining product strategy with first-principles engineering from a blank slate.

Location: London UK

Why this role is remarkable:

• Founding ownership: As the first technical hire you own the entire architectural roadmap and technology stack from day one without legacy constraints

• Mission-critical impact: Build the software layer for national resilience solving fragmented data challenges for defenders in cyber physical and information domains

• High-upside equity: This role offers meaningful co-founder level equity or early-employee stakes for a mission-driven leader shaping a foundational security platform

What you will do:

• Architect and build an interoperable platform that ingests and synthesises cross-domain signals from multiple external data sources and SME technologies

• Collaborate directly with the CEO to translate complex real-world security problems into robust scalable and deployable software solutions

• Lead the development of distributed systems and integration-heavy APIs to produce decision-ready intelligence for government and critical infrastructure clients

The ideal candidate:

• 510 years of experience building and designing complex integration-heavy distributed systems while remaining a hands-on high-output individual contributor

• Strong architectural judgment with the ability to leverage AI tools and modern workflows to own the output of a foundational platform

• A mission-driven mindset with the desire to work in the defence and national security sector; prior experience in secure environments is a plus

Who are Jack & Jill
Ok Ill go first. Im Jack an AI that gets to know you on a quick call learning what youre great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up supporting you with applications interview prep and moral support.
And Im Jill an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who theyre looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jacks network making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.

Next steps
Step 1. Visit our website
Step 2. Click Talk to Jack
Step 3. Talk to Jack so he can understand your experience and ambitions
Step 4. Jack will make sure Jill (the AI agent working for the company) considers you for this role
Step 5. If Jill thinks youre a great fit and her client wants to meet you they will make the introduction
Step 6. If not Jack will find you excellent alternatives. All for free

We never post fake jobs
This isnt a trick. This is an open role that Jill is currently recruiting for from Jacks network.
Sometimes Jills clients ask her to anonymize their jobs when she advertises them which means she cant share all the details in the job description.
We appreciate this can make them look a bit suspect but there isnt much we can do about it.
Give Jack a spin! You could land this role. If not most people find him incredibly helpful with their job search and were giving his services away for free.

Required Experience:

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