Role Summary
We’re building a payment platform that lets businesses accept and settle funds while leveraging blockchain (Polygon/zkEVM) for backend traceability. As our Technical Co-Founder/CTO, you’ll own the architecture, lead development of our MVP, and shape our long-term tech strategy.
Success in this position looks like:
* Launching a fully functional MVP within 4 months.
* Demonstrating live GBP flows via Open Banking, with fees auto-split and logged on the Polygon testnet.
* Building a production-ready codebase (Node.js/TypeScript backend, Next.js frontend, Solidity contracts) and DevOps pipelines.
* Establishing automated on-chain logging, fee-swap microservices, and CI/CD so that every transaction is auditable and future-proof for Web3 integrations.
* Laying the technical groundwork for FCA EMI license applications and scalable operation.
In this founding role, you’ll report directly to the CEO/founder, set sprint cadences, hire and mentor engineers (onshore/offshore), and collaborate with compliance, product, and operations to ensure we hit aggressive milestones.
Key Responsibilities
1. Technical Strategy & Architecture
* Define and evolve the end-to-end system architecture: Open Banking integration, EMI sponsor APIs, fee-splitter microservice, on-chain audit contracts, and dashboards.
* Choose frameworks, languages, and cloud services (AWS/GCP) that balance agility, security, and cost-efficiency.
2. MVP Delivery & Hands-On Development
* Build critical components:
o Open Banking payment initiation and webhook handlers.
o Sponsor EMI integration for virtual accounts and payouts.
o Fee-split microservice that calculates fees, triggers fiat→USDC swaps (Transak/Ramp), and calls our Polygon audit contract.
o Smart contract development and deployment on Polygon zkEVM (Solidity + Hardhat).
o Frontend modules (Next.js) for merchant onboarding, customer checkout widget, and real-time dashboards.
3. Team Leadership & Collaboration
* Recruit, onboard, and mentor a small engineering team (remote/offshore), setting coding standards, CI/CD pipelines, and code-review processes.
* Coordinate closely with product, design, and compliance, ensuring feature requirements, UI/UX designs, and regulatory checklists are implemented in sprint cycles.
* Delegate tasks effectively while remaining hands-on for critical path items, especially around payment flows and on-chain logic.
4. DevOps & Security
* Architect and maintain secure, scalable infrastructure: Dockerized services, Kubernetes or AWS Fargate/ECS, managed PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3.
* Implement robust ESLint/Prettier (JS/TS) in CI, automated tests (Jest, Hardhat), and vulnerability scanning (Snyk or GitHub CodeQL).
* Ensure all API keys and secrets live in AWS Secrets Manager or GCP Secret Manager, with least-privilege IAM roles.
* Set up monitoring, logging, and alerts (CloudWatch, Sentry, Datadog) for payment failures, on-chain errors, and low-gas wallet balances.
5. Compliance & Regulatory Support
* Work with the CEO and legal advisors to translate FCA licensing requirements into technical specifications: data encryption, audit trails, KYC/KYB integrations (Sumsub, ComplyAdvantage), and GDPR compliance.
* Help draft and maintain documentation (architecture diagrams, runbooks, security policies) required for FCA sandbox applications and EMI license submissions.
6. Roadmap & Scalability
* Continuously refine the technical roadmap, balancing immediate MVP requirements with long-term scalability (batching on-chain logs, multi-chain support, loyalty tokenization).
* Evaluate emerging Layer 2 solutions (zkSync Era, Arbitrum Nova) and modular SDKs for potential future cost or performance gains.
Qualifications & Skills
Technical Skills
* Blockchain/Web3 Expertise (Required):
* 2 years or more in writing, testing, and deploying Solidity contracts (0.8.x) on Ethereum or EVM-compatible Layer 2s (Polygon, zkEVM).
* Experience with Hardhat (or Truffle) for contract development, testing (Waffle/Chai), and on-chain verification.
* Proficiency with Ethers.js (or Web3.js) for building on-chain services and reading/writing events.
* Open Banking & Fintech Integration (Strongly Preferred):
* Hands-on experience integrating TrueLayer, Yapily, or similar PSD2 APIs for Payment Initiation.
* Familiarity with sponsor EMI partners (Modulr, Railsr) and their REST API workflows: virtual account creation, payments, payouts, webhooks.
* Backend Development (Required):
* 3 years or more in building scalable backend APIs with Node.js + TypeScript (Express.js or NestJS) or FastAPI (Python).
* Expertise in relational databases (PostgreSQL), caching/queues (Redis, BullMQ or Celery), and advanced SQL (joins, indexes, migrations).
* Experience building microservices architectures, Docker, and CI/CD.
* Frontend Development (Strongly Preferred):
* Proficiency in Next.js (v13+), React (Hooks), TypeScript, and TailwindCSS (or equivalent CSS framework).
* Experience building dynamic dashboards with data-fetching libraries (SWR or React Query).
· Leadership & Soft Skills
* Entrepreneurial Mindset: You thrive in high-uncertainty environments, move fast, and continuously iterate.
* Communication: Excellent verbal and written skills to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders (investors, compliance, product).
* Collaboration: Proven track record of leading or mentoring remote/offshore teams; fosters a culture of code quality, documentation, and shared ownership.
* Problem-Solving: You proactively identify gaps in architecture or security, propose solutions, and drive implementation.
* Domain Knowledge: Passion for fintech and Web3—able to stay on top of FCA regulations, PSD2 guidelines, and evolving Layer 2 ecosystems.
Education & Experience
* Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
* 4 plus years of professional experience in software engineering, with at least 2 + years in blockchain/Web3.
* Previous startup or early-stage experience is a plus (you know how to build MVPs with lean teams).
* Prior leadership roles or evidence of scaling engineering processes.
🎉 How This Role Fits Into the Organization
As CTO and co-founder, you’ll be the technical force multiplier for our company. You will:
* Set the Technical Vision: Drive all engineering decisions, from MVP architecture to production maturity.
* Build the Core Team: Recruit, mentor, and inspire engineers who share our mission of frictionless, Web3-powered payments.
3. Align Tech & Business: Work hand-in-hand with the CEO/founder on fundraising, product iterations, and go-to-market strategy.
Your success directly impacts our ability to raise subsequent rounds (Series A) by demonstrating that we can handle regulated money flows, maintain compliance, and deliver a superior customer/merchant experience.
Compensation & Equity
* Equity-First Structure: This is an equity-based, co-founder role. You will receive a meaningful ownership stake commensurate with a founding CTO position.
* Deferred Salary: Until we close our pre-seed round, there will be no cash salary for this position.
Post-Raise Compensation:
* A competitive CTO salary (market rate for UK fintech CTOs) will be initiated upon successful funding.
* Salary progression and performance bonuses will be defined in your co-founder agreement.
* Equity Vesting: Standard 4-year vesting schedule with a 1-year cliff. Additional equity grants may be awarded based on performance and milestones.
* Benefits (post-raise): Full medical coverage, pension contributions, and budget for training and conferences.
To Apply
If you’re excited to co-found a fintech startup that marries Open Banking and blockchain, please send us an email to contact@blocknetica.io, attaching the following :
* Your LinkedIn profile and CV
* A brief note on why you’re passionate about payments and blockchain
* Links to GitHub repos or code samples (smart contracts, APIs, dashboards)
We look forward to building the future of payments with you.