Deputy Chief Technology Officer

IT

location_onDubai, United Arab Emirates
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LHH is seeking a Deputy Chief Technology Officer for one of its tech clients to lead and scale a high-performing engineering organization. This role owns the end-to-end technology function, including software development, infrastructure, platform engineering, and AI adoption, ensuring a scalable and reliable digital payments platform.

You will operate at both strategic and hands-on levels, driving execution across multiple teams while embedding modern engineering and AI practices into everyday workflows.

Key Responsibilities

1. Engineering Leadership

  • Lead multiple engineering teams across backend, frontend, and mobile
  • Drive delivery of fintech products including digital wallets, P2P transfers, payment gateways, merchant solutions, lending, and bill payments
  • Own the technical roadmap, balancing speed, quality, and scalability
  • Ensure strong engineering standards and reduce technical debt

2. Infrastructure & Platform

  • Oversee cloud infrastructure and platform engineering
  • Ensure high availability (99.9%+), scalability, and cost optimization
  • Manage cloud-native architecture (AWS ecosystem)
  • Maintain high-performance systems capable of handling large transaction volumes

3. AI & Engineering Productivity

  • Lead adoption of AI tools across engineering workflows (AI-assisted coding, automated code reviews, AI-driven CI/CD improvements)
  • Embed AI into daily operations beyond experimentation
  • Drive AI-based product features such as fraud detection and personalization

4. Team & Organizational Leadership

  • Manage and scale a team of 30+ engineers across multiple squads
  • Own hiring strategy, vendor management, and team structure
  • Define KPIs, performance frameworks, and career growth paths
  • Build a high-performance, accountable engineering culture

5. Cross-Functional Leadership

  • Partner with Product, Business, and Operations teams
  • Translate business goals into technical execution
  • Represent engineering at leadership level
  • Align engineering strategy with company growth plans

Required Qualifications

  • 12+ years in software engineering
  • 5+ years in senior leadership roles (CTO / VP Engineering / Head of Engineering)
  • Experience in fintech, payments, or digital wallets
  • Strong backend systems and modern architecture experience
  • Experience managing large engineering teams (30+)
  • Strong understanding of cloud-native systems (AWS preferred)
  • Proven experience implementing AI tools in engineering environments
  • Strong communication and decision-making skills

Nice to Have

  • Experience in emerging markets or payment ecosystems
  • Knowledge of cross-border or multi-currency systems
  • Startup or high-growth scaling experience
  • Exposure to regulatory environments (AML/KYC, compliance)
  • Experience building B2B platforms or internal systems

What We Expect

  • Ownership of business outcomes, not just technical delivery
  • Ability to go deep technically when required
  • Strong decision-making in ambiguous environments
  • Continuous focus on efficiency through AI and automation
  • Collaboration across teams to drive company-wide impact

If you are interested, we would love to hear from you.

LHH is a global talent solutions leader committed to making the future work for everyone by supporting candidates and organizations in achieving long-term success.

Ref: JN-052026-94721