Chief Technology Officer (US)

CTO (US)

Austin, TX (hybrid)

Twelve10 has been retained by a well-backed fintech startup to hire a CTO to build their US engineering function from scratch.

The product is live. There is revenue. They have institutional banking clients signed already, and are now ready to make a hire of this magnitude.

This is their first CTO hire for the US. You are not replacing someone who didn't work out, nor are you coming in too early where there's no proof of concept, or where you're effective expected to be a staff level developer still writing code with grandiose title. No sirree (or ma'am), this is taking this to the next level as what they're missing right now is US engineering engine behind it the product.

What’s in it for you

This is not a zero-to-one gamble with limited runway.

The business is well backed, already operating in market, and selling into a regulated fintech environment where the product is in use.

Engineering in the US does not exist in a meaningful way today. You will build it properly.

You will own how the US engineering function is structured, how it hires, and how it delivers.

The product works. The opportunity is to take control of how it gets built and shipped going forward.

There is also the opportunity to build real ownership through early-stage stock options at a level that actually matters.

What you’ll be doing

• Build and lead the US engineering team from zero in Austin
• Work alongside an existing international engineering function
• Turn product into shipped systems quickly
• Make architecture decisions in a regulated, data-heavy fintech environment
• Hire the first core group of engineers and set the standard

Who you are

You will likely recognize yourself in one of these buckets:

1\. The Fintech Operator

You have worked at companies like Stripe, Square, Coinbase or similar

You have built or scaled products in regulated fintech or payments environments

You understand how to move quickly without breaking things that matter

You are likely at Head of Engineering or Director level and ready to take full ownership

2\. The Startup Builder

You have built engineering teams from zero to around 15 or 20 people

You have done this in a fintech, payments, regtech, or similarly regulated startup environment

You hire well, move quickly, and know how to turn something messy into something that works

3\. The Bridge

You have operated in both startup and fintech or regulated environments

You are comfortable working across teams, time zones, and different ways of operating

You know how to move things forward without having a blueprint in place

4\. The Crypto Operator

You have built or scaled products in crypto, exchanges, wallets, or on-chain infrastructure

You are used to shipping quickly in environments where there is no clear playbook

You understand how to operate in high-risk, high-trust systems where failure is not an option

You have either worked with or are comfortable moving into regulated environments where compliance matters

What matters

• You have built teams from scratch or have scaled relatively early stage ones
• You are hands-on enough to earn credibility early
• You have experience in fintech, payments, regtech, or a regulated environment
• You are comfortable working across time zones and cultures
• You take ownership and move things forward

This is not about a perfect CV or a one specific architype profile. I've given you four examples above just off the top of my head based on my chat with the founder, the reality is there may be a 5th type of bucket I haven't even considered yet, perhaps even an Engineering Manager, having launched a tech product for a bank or Crypto company looking to join a well backed startup. See? that's another background worth a conversation.

If you have done this before, we'll both know after our conversation if it feels right.

Quick FAQ-

• Does this have to be ATX based? Yes.
• Can I commute from Dallas a couple of times a week? No, don't be silly. No one wants to do a 7 hour round trip twice a week?
• I've never worked in Fintech or banking, can I apply? Sure. But it won't be a fit and I'd hate to leave you on read.
• Do you offer relocation? Not for this one I'm afraid. Austin is drowning in talented tech professionals waiting for something like this, so at this time, we're going to stay local. Only caveat would be if you're a returning Austinite or we're looking for jobs in Austin anyway with some tie to the city.

Twelve10 is a boutique startup recruiting partner focused on early-stage fintech and regulated environments. We are exclusively retained on this search.