Senior TIKO - CTO

About Tiko 
Tiko is an African nonprofit committed to strengthening the potential and resilience of adolescent girls across Africa.

They address the “Triple Threat” of unintended pregnancy, HIV infection, and sexual and gender-based violence by building local health ecosystems that provide stigma-free, no-cost, quality-assured services.

They operate in six countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Nigeria, with additional offices in Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. For a clear overview of our work, we recommend watching this short video.

Globally, their team consists of +250 enthusiastic, international colleagues. Whether you are working from our biggest office in Nairobi, the fast-growing office in South Africa, or from home, our people are young, and our culture is global and dynamic. Their work environment is fast-paced, informal, and friendly. 

For this position, they are happily looking for candidates currently based in Portugal.

The Job

Reporting directly to the Chief Technology and Product Officer (CTPO), the Deputy Chief Technology Officer will take end-to-end operational and strategic ownership of roughly half their total tech organisation - leading 50 - 60 engineers, architects, and data professionals across four distinct teams. You will partner closely with your peer, the Deputy Chief Product Officer, to turn their technology vision into a resilient, scalable, and high-throughput reality.

This is not an advisory, fractional, or hands-off consulting role.

They are looking for an operational heavyweight who thrives in the weeds of engineering standards, architecture trade-offs, and ISO 27001 compliance, while building the conditions that make delivery predictable and sustainable. You will lead through directors, raise the bar for technical excellence, and serve as the ultimate arbitrator for build-vs-buy decisions across their platform, data, and infrastructure.

Engineering & Architecture Strategy

• Own the overarching integrity of Tiko's technical architecture, setting cross-cutting principles and standards across engineering, data, and cloud infrastructure.
• Arbitrate major build-vs-buy decisions, evaluating long-term operational costs, reliability, and platform growth against immediate business priorities.
• Contribute technical initiatives directly to the joint product and tech roadmap, ensuring foundational platform health and tech-debt management are prioritised alongside feature delivery.
• Stay ahead of emerging technologies and industry shifts to ensure Tiko's platform remains modern, secure, and fit for purpose across their operating regions.

Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Directly manage, mentor, and develop senior leaders—including two Engineering Directors, a Data Architect, and a Software & Infrastructure Architect.
• Scale and nurture a high-performing 50+ person engineering organisation, fostering a culture grounded in psychological safety, collaborative problem-solving, and continuous learning.
• Establish metrics, SLAs, and KPIs to track platform health, delivery performance, and engineering effectiveness, using data to drive continuous optimisation.
• Own the organisational conditions for predictable, low-toil delivery, empowering your Engineering Directors to execute individual projects with autonomy and accountability.

Governance, Risk & Security

About You

You are a grounded, low-ego technical leader who values organisational impact and real-world delivery far above corporate titles. You are energised by the systemic challenge of leading a multi-team engineering organisation through its next stage of scale. You combine deep, battle-tested software and data engineering fundamentals with the emotional intelligence needed to mentor directors, align cross-functional peers, and foster a growth-oriented, inclusive environment for girls and the communities they serve.

Requirements:  

• Proven Scale Leadership: 8+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience, with a track record of directly or indirectly managing multi-team organisations of 40+ people (managing through directors, not just individual contributors or frontline managers).
• Full-Time Operational Ownership: Demonstrated history of full-time, hands-on operational leadership in scaling product-led tech environments (fractional, part-time, or pure advisory experience will not fit this requirement).
• Architectural Mastery: Deep experience defining enterprise architecture standards, managing complex distributed systems, and leading data infrastructure transformations.
• Security & Compliance: Direct experience driving compliance, security governance, and data privacy frameworks (specifically ISO 27001 and local data protection regulations).
• Communication & Alignment: Exceptional verbal and written European English communication skills, with a proven ability to act as an internal and external technical evangelist.

• Hands-on experience scaling technology platforms across emerging markets or lower-bandwidth environments in Africa.
  
• Deep background in data engineering, analytics architectures, or financial/incentive payout systems at scale.
  
• Direct experience partnering with executive leadership in a matrixed, cross-functional global non-profit or social enterprise. 

Recruitment Process

Introductory call with recruiter | First Interview with Tech Team | Second Interview with Tech Team | Final interview with the Co-CEO

The Rewards

• They offer a competitive salary based on experience, location and the agreed scope of the position
• Benefits and allowances tailored to your location
• Flexible work arrangements, including remote or hybrid options
• A personal development budget to invest in your professional growth 
• Unlimited holiday days to use as you see fit - just coordinate with your team and take the time you need to recharge
• The opportunity to shape a growing, impactful product and leave your mark on how we work
• A culture built on trust - we believe you’ll do your best without the need for unnecessary rules or micromanagement

In addition to your monthly salary, we offer you:

• Benefits and allowances tailored to your location.
• Flexible work arrangements, including remote or hybrid options.
• A personal development budget of €500 per year to invest in your professional growth 
• Unlimited holiday days to use as you see fit - just coordinate with your team and take the time you need to recharge.
• The opportunity to shape a growing, impactful product and leave your mark on how they work
• A culture built on trust - we believe you’ll do your best without the need for unnecessary rules or micromanagement.