Chief Technology Officer at Fitan Limited in Abuja

Employment Type: Full-time

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Work Mode: On-site
Monthly Gross Salary: ₦3,500,000 – ₦4,500,000
Reporting Line: Chief Executive Officer (operationally), with direct access to the Board of Directors on matters affecting platform integrity, cybersecurity, and material technology risks.

About the Role

We are recruiting a highly experienced Chief Technology Officer (CTO) on behalf of its client, a technology company developing secure, mission-critical software solutions for Nigeria's defence and security institutions.

This is a founding technology leadership role for a strategic and hands-on technology executive who will define the company's technology vision, establish its engineering function, and lead the development of secure, scalable, and enterprise-grade software platforms.

The CTO will be responsible for building the company's technical capabilities from the ground up, translating validated institutional requirements into reliable technology solutions, and developing a reusable core platform that supports multiple clients and long-term product growth.

Working closely with the CEO, commercial leadership, and other key stakeholders, the CTO will balance immediate client delivery requirements with the continuous development of the company's core technology platform.

The successful candidate will leverage modern software engineering practices, including AI-assisted development tools, to build a lean, high-performing engineering organisation capable of delivering quality software efficiently, securely, and at scale.

Given the sensitive nature of the company's operations, the CTO must demonstrate exceptional technical judgement, strong cybersecurity awareness, and the independence to make critical architectural decisions in the company's long-term interests.

Key Responsibilities
1. Technology Strategy and Platform Architecture

• Define and lead the company's technology strategy, platform architecture, and long-term engineering roadmap.
• Design and oversee the development of secure, modular, scalable, and reusable software platforms capable of supporting multiple defence and security institutions.
• Establish architecture principles, technology standards, and engineering frameworks that promote system reliability, maintainability, and long-term scalability.
• Guide technology selection and architectural decisions in line with business objectives, security requirements, and operational needs.
• Balance client-specific requirements with the development of a sustainable core technology platform and product portfolio.

2. Software Engineering and Product Delivery

• Lead the design, development, testing, deployment, and continuous improvement of enterprise-grade software solutions.
• Translate validated institutional requirements into technically feasible solutions in collaboration with the commercial and executive teams.
• Oversee engineering delivery to ensure products meet agreed requirements, quality standards, timelines, and performance expectations.
• Drive the use of AI-assisted software engineering tools to improve development speed, testing, documentation, code quality, and team productivity.
• Promote reusable components, automation, efficient development workflows, and modern software engineering practices.
• Serve as the final technical authority on architecture, engineering standards, and technical feasibility.

3. Cybersecurity and Platform Integrity

• Establish and oversee the company's cybersecurity, software assurance, and technology risk management frameworks.
• Ensure security is integrated into the entire software development lifecycle, from architecture and coding through testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Oversee secure system design, access controls, data protection, vulnerability management, and incident response readiness.
• Ensure software solutions meet applicable security, regulatory, and assurance requirements before deployment.
• Provide technical leadership for deployments in secure environments, including on-premise, sovereign, air-gapped, or classified infrastructure, where required.
• Identify and escalate material cybersecurity threats, platform vulnerabilities, and technology risks to executive leadership and the Board.
• Maintain appropriate technical independence when decisions concerning platform integrity or security are involved.

4. Engineering Leadership and Team Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing engineering organisation from the ground up.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain engineering talent across relevant technical disciplines.
• Establish clear engineering responsibilities, performance expectations, development standards, and accountability frameworks.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, security, and continuous improvement.
• Develop an engineering structure that supports efficient delivery, knowledge sharing, and sustainable growth.
• Identify capability gaps and implement training and development initiatives to strengthen the team's technical expertise.

5. Technical Governance and Operational Excellence

• Establish engineering governance processes, architecture review procedures, documentation standards, and secure development practices.
• Implement appropriate software testing, code review, version control, release management, and deployment controls.
• Monitor engineering productivity, software quality, system performance, delivery timelines, and technical debt.
• Drive continuous improvements in development processes, system reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable regulatory, security, and internal governance requirements.
• Manage the technology function within approved budgets and delegated financial authority.

6. Executive Collaboration and Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with the CEO and commercial leadership to align technology execution with business strategy and validated client demand.
• Provide technical input during client engagements, solution design, product demonstrations, and delivery planning.
• Assess the feasibility, complexity, cost, and risks of proposed solutions before commitments are made to clients.
• Communicate technical constraints, delivery risks, resource requirements, and mitigation plans clearly to executive stakeholders.
• Provide regular updates to executive leadership and the Board on technology strategy, engineering performance, cybersecurity, and platform integrity.
• Maintain appropriate independence in technical decisions while supporting the company's commercial objectives.

Requirements
Education and Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years' experience in software engineering, with significant responsibility for enterprise architecture and the delivery of complex, scalable software systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading software engineering teams and delivering complex technology programmes from concept through deployment.
• Proven experience designing and developing secure, enterprise-grade technology platforms.
• Experience building engineering teams, technical capabilities, or software products within a start-up, scale-up, or founding organisation.
• Experience in government, defence, intelligence, cybersecurity, financial services, or other highly regulated environments will be an advantage.
• Experience working with Nigerian public-sector institutions or within the Nigerian technology ecosystem is desirable.
• Must be eligible to obtain the security clearances required for the company's operations.

Technical Knowledge and Expertise

• Strong understanding of software architecture, system design, distributed systems, APIs, and enterprise application development.
• Demonstrated knowledge of cybersecurity principles, secure software development, identity and access management, and technology risk management.
• Experience with cloud-based and on-premise deployments, systems integration, and secure infrastructure.
• Familiarity with sovereign, air-gapped, or classified deployment environments will be an advantage.
• Current, hands-on experience using AI-assisted software engineering tools to improve coding, testing, debugging, documentation, and engineering productivity.
• Experience establishing software development standards, architecture governance, quality assurance, and deployment controls.
• Strong understanding of software scalability, performance optimisation, reliability, maintainability, and system security.
• Ability to evaluate emerging technologies and determine their practical value to the organisation.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

• Strategic technology leadership: Ability to define a clear technology vision and translate it into an achievable engineering roadmap.
• Architectural judgement: Confidence in making complex technical decisions while prioritising security, scalability, reliability, and long-term business value.
• Engineering execution: Ability to move from technical strategy to practical delivery and consistently produce high-quality software.
• AI-enabled productivity: Practical knowledge of using AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering efficiency without compromising quality or security.
• Cybersecurity awareness: Strong understanding of secure architecture, software assurance, and the protection of sensitive systems.
• Team building: Ability to recruit, develop, and lead a lean, high-performing engineering organisation.
• Commercial awareness: Ability to align technology decisions with client requirements, business priorities, delivery commitments, and available resources.
• Stakeholder management: Ability to communicate complex technical matters clearly to executive leadership, commercial teams, clients, and the Board.
• Integrity and accountability: Commitment to responsible technology leadership, sound governance, and timely escalation of material risks.
• Adaptability and resilience: Ability to operate effectively in a demanding, high-performance environment where quality, speed, and security are critical.

Leadership Expectations

The ideal candidate is a technology leader who combines strategic vision with practical engineering expertise. They should be comfortable building systems and teams from the ground up, making difficult architectural decisions, and establishing the standards required to support a growing technology business.

The successful candidate must also understand that delivering software for defence and security institutions requires a disciplined approach to confidentiality, cybersecurity, system integrity, and operational reliability.

They must be able to support commercial growth without compromising technical standards, ensuring that client commitments are achievable and that the company's technology platform remains secure, scalable, and fit for purpose

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: ₦3,500,000.00 - ₦4,500,000.00 per month

Application Question(s):

• Do you reside in Abuja?
• Do you have experience in any of the following areas: defence, intelligence, government technology, cybersecurity, financial services, highly regulated industries, enterprise software, systems integration, mission-critical technology, or secure deployments in sovereign, on-premise, air-gapped, or restricted environments? If yes, please briefly describe your relevant experience.
• What's your notice period?

Work Location: In person