Job Description: Head of Product & Pipeline (CTO – Creative Systems)
Compensation: Unpaid initially + fair equity (co-founder-level), role converts to paid as revenue lands
About the role
We’re building a premium creative systems company that helps consumer brands produce authored, high-performing visuals at scale—without falling into the “template AI” look.
We’re entering with an active partner channel and a warm pipeline. Our immediate constraint is execution capacity, not demand. This role is for a technical leader who can build the engine and help form the first delivery team so we can confidently approach and serve initial clients.
Stage & compensation (important)
This is an early-stage, pre-revenue build role.
* Unpaid for the initial build phase while we assemble the first pod and close initial client work
* Compensated via fair equity aligned to a founding contribution
* As revenue begins, the role converts into a paid leadership position (timing tied to client delivery milestones)
If you’re looking for a stable salary today, this won’t be the right fit. If you want to build the core system and own meaningful upside, you’ll love it.
What you’ll own 1) The production engine (end-to-end)
Design and run a repeatable pipeline that covers:
* Client intake & asset requirements
* “Creative grammar” / constraints (our Pattern Break rules)
* Quality control gates (anti-AI-tells)
The goal is speed with premium finish—not speed at the cost of sameness.
2) Quality as a product
Build a quality standard that prevents the “everyone can tell it’s AI” problem:
* Implement QC checklists + review loops
* Own the final bar for “luxury enough to convert”
3) Automation & workflow tooling
Build lightweight tooling that makes delivery faster and more consistent:
* Delivery systems that reduce revisions and shorten cycle time
We care about shipping usable systems quickly (weeks), not building a giant platform too early.
4) Build the first team (and make them unstoppable)
Help assemble and lead the first delivery pod (freelance-first, then core hires), likely including:
* 3D / CG artist
* Senior retoucher / compositor (premium finish gate)
You’ll define standards, workflows, throughput targets, and quality gates.
What success looks like (first 90 days)
By day 30
* Documented pipeline (SOPs, templates, file standards)
By day 60
* Scene library + reusable modules in place
* Output velocity improving week over week
By day 90
* Production runs predictably with consistent premium quality
* We can approach and serve multiple clients without quality drop
* Pod structure is proven and scalable
Who you are
* Creative-tech taste + quality control
* You can spot “template AI” instantly and know how to correct it; you understand compositing/CG/retouch standards enough to enforce a premium bar.
* Workflow + automation
* Systems mindset
* You translate standards into templates/checklists/modules, and you measure cycle time, revisions, defects.
* Shipping culture
* You don’t overbuild. You ship a usable system fast, then iterate.
Nice to have
* Experience building internal tools for creative teams
* Light ML familiarity (helpful, not required)
* Familiarity with paid social creative specs + e-commerce conversion contexts
Red flags
* Wants to build a platform before delivering for several paying clients
* Pure ML engineer with no visual taste
* Dismisses retouch/compositing craft—premium finish is the product
Why this is compelling
* Warm pipeline via an established partner channel; immediate opportunity to deliver real client value
* You’ll build the core IP: the authored creative system + pipeline becomes the moat
* Founding-level influence, equity upside, and the chance to define how modern creative production should work
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