Venture CTO
About Blenheim Chalcot
Blenheim Chalcot is the UK’s leading digital venture builder. We invest more than just funds, we invest our knowledge and experience, our ideas and infrastructure. Our ventures are at the forefront of a multitude of industries being disrupted digitally, including FinTech, EdTech, GovTech, Media, Sport, Charity and more. Ventures we have built range from ClearScore to Agilisys and even the Rajasthan Royals IPL cricket team. All our 20+ portfolio companies have been incubated and launched by us and now have total sales of over £0.5bn and more than 3,000 employees. Our assets under management stand at greater than £1.5bn.
As the Venture CTO, your pivotal role involves leading technology strategy and overseeing technology delivery across one or two of our portfolio companies. Your responsibilities include guiding engineering operations, platform management, and product development teams. Your focus will be on driving innovation and efficiency, ensuring the delivery of high-quality solutions that align with our business objectives. A key part of your role is to provide strategic leadership and direction, optimizing processes to enhance performance.
In this dynamic environment, you will manage, develop, and expand a team of skilled engineers, cultivating an atmosphere of collaboration, innovation, and growth within a product-centric framework. With your robust background in development, you are expected to spearhead the development of advanced B2B Enterprise SaaS products, fostering a culture that values technical excellence and continual enhancement.
A critical aspect of your role is to identify and monitor key business risks, addressing the evolving engineering requirements of the business. Your oversight of project activities and deliverables will be instrumental in ensuring coherence with the overarching departmental and business strategies. This role demands a strategic mindset and a commitment to maintaining alignment with our vision, pushing the boundaries of technological advancement in our portfolio companies.
Responsibilities:
Business Acumen & Leadership:
- Understand the business goals, industry trends, and market demands to guide technical decisions that align with our strategic vision.
- Develop a clear roadmap and technical strategy that supports both immediate goals and long-term business growth.
Operations & Program Management:
- Design and implement efficient engineering operations, platforms development and support optimising processes to enhance productivity, quality, and cross-functional collaboration, especially across Data Science and IT Infrastructure practices.
- Oversee end-to-end program management, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and in alignment with business objectives.
Team Building & Leadership:
- Recruit, mentor, and lead a dynamic team of software engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
- Provide technical leadership, guidance, and growth opportunities to team members, shaping them into future technical leaders.
Product Development & Innovation:
- Leverage your development background to guide the architecture, design, and implementation of robust and scalable B2B Enterprise SaaS products.
- Champion innovative solutions, keeping abreast of emerging technologies and industry best practices to drive product excellence.
Empathy & Values:
- Uphold our core values, fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment that promotes collaboration, respect, and shared success.
- Demonstrate empathy in team interactions, creating an environment where team members feel valued and supported.
Technical Skills:
- Proficiency in software development, frameworks and platforms, along with low-code/no-code solutions
- Expertise in software architecture and design patterns, with the ability to guide technical decisions for complex systems.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead troubleshooting efforts and provide technical guidance to the team.
Must have:
- 8-12 years experience in technology leadership roles
- Proven experience in engineering management, including team leadership, talent development, and performance management.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage priorities, resources, and stakeholder expectations.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, both technical and non-technical, to effectively collaborate and convey complex concepts.
- Ability to align technical decisions with business goals and make strategic recommendations.
- Passion for continuous learning and staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in software development and product management.
- Track record of successfully delivering B2B Enterprise SaaS products, demonstrating a deep understanding of product development lifecycle, will be a massive advantage.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or similar
Nice to have:
- Knowledge of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and their services for building scalable and resilient applications.
- Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization technologies, such as Docker, Kubernetes.
- Hands-on experience in building B2B Enterprise SaaS products, understanding the unique challenges of this domain will be an added advantage.
Qualifications:
- Graduation or Above in Technological or relevant field.
At Blenheim Chalcot, we strive to create an environment where differences are not only accepted but greatly valued; where everyone can make the most of their capabilities and potential. We promote meritocracy, competence and the sharing of ideas and opinions. We are driven by data and believe the diversity, agility, generosity, and curiosity of our people is what sets us apart as an organization and helps us thrive.
