Founding CTO / Engineering Lead – Global K–12 EdTech, LMS, AI, Robotics & ICT Platform

More than 6 months, 30+ hrs/week We are developing a next-generation global K–12 educational technology platform covering ICT, computer science, coding, AI, robotics, STEM, digital skills and related technology subjects. We already intend to work with experienced educators, curriculum architects, instructional designers and subject-matter experts who will define the pedagogy, learning outcomes, curriculum progression, activities and assessments. We are now looking for a highly experienced CTO / Engineering Lead who can work alongside this academic team and take full ownership of the technical architecture, engineering strategy and development team required to turn the curriculum into a complete commercial digital learning platform. This is not primarily a curriculum-development position. We need a strong engineering and technology leader capable of designing and building the infrastructure behind a global EdTech product. Key

Responsibilities * Design the complete technical architecture for a scalable K–12 EdTech ecosystem. * Lead and manage software developers, AI engineers, UX/UI designers, QA engineers, DevOps specialists and other technical resources. * Translate requirements from educators and curriculum designers into technical specifications, workflows, APIs and working products. * Architect a complete LMS / digital learning delivery platform for students, teachers, schools, administrators and potentially parents. * Design multi-school / multi-tenant architecture suitable for international deployment. * Develop or oversee student portals, teacher dashboards, administration portals, assessment systems, analytics and reporting. * Design coding and interactive learning environments for subjects such as Scratch, Python, web development and computer science. * Integrate AI capabilities including tutoring, adaptive learning, feedback, content assistance, assessment support and learning analytics, with appropriate human review and safeguards. * Design technical interfaces between the software platform and hardware manufacturers / ICT devices, including robotics kits, microcontrollers, sensors, IoT devices, STEM equipment and educational hardware. * Define APIs, SDKs, communication protocols and integration standards so that hardware from multiple manufacturers can work with the platform. * Support virtual laboratories and simulators where physical hardware is unavailable. * Establish platform security, privacy, identity management, access controls, data architecture and cloud infrastructure appropriate for schools and minors. * Build architecture that supports multiple countries, languages, curricula and localization requirements. * Determine appropriate build-vs-buy-vs-integrate decisions for LMS, coding environments, AI services, cloud services and third-party systems. * Establish engineering standards, documentation, version control, testing, CI/CD, QA and release management. * Create the technical roadmap from MVP → pilot → production → international scale. * Recruit, structure and lead the development team as the project grows. * Work closely with the Founder and Head of Curriculum/Product while retaining technical ownership of engineering decisions. Ideal Candidate We are particularly interested in candidates with strong experience in several of the following areas: Software architecture, SaaS platforms, LMS/EdTech, cloud architecture, full-stack development, APIs, multi-tenant systems, AI/ML integration, LLM applications, coding platforms, robotics, IoT, hardware/software integration, cybersecurity, data analytics and engineering-team leadership. Experience building technology for K–12 schools, universities, LMS companies, EdTech platforms, coding education, robotics or AI-learning products would be highly valuable. The candidate should be comfortable working alongside educators rather than attempting to replace them. The academic team will determine what and how students should learn; the CTO will determine how the technology can reliably deliver, manage, measure and scale that learning. Expected Initial Deliverables During the first phase, we expect the CTO to produce a complete technical blueprint covering platform architecture, technology stack, database and cloud design, user roles, LMS architecture, AI architecture, coding environments, assessment systems, analytics, hardware/robotics integration, APIs, security, development methodology, engineering team structure, MVP scope, development timeline and indicative development resources/budget. The successful candidate should then be capable of leading the engineering team through implementation, rather than only providing consultancy or architecture documents. Important We are not looking only for a senior developer and we are not looking for a curriculum specialist using the CTO title. We are seeking someone capable of thinking at both architecture and execution level: Educators design the learning experience. The CTO engineers the entire technology ecosystem that makes it work globally. The long-term objective is to build a globally deployable platform capable of supporting schools, teachers and students across different countries, with curriculum delivery, LMS functionality, AI, coding, robotics/ICT integrations, assessments, analytics, teacher resources and administrative management within one integrated ecosystem. Engagement: Initially project-based / part-time with potential to develop into a long-term CTO leadership position based on mutual fit, technical roadmap and project progress. Please include in your proposal: examples of platforms you have architected or built, size of engineering teams you have led, your direct technical background, EdTech/LMS experience, AI experience, robotics/IoT or hardware-integration experience, preferred technology architecture, and how you would approach the first 90 days of this project.