Chief Technology Officer - BarkaLab

BarkaLab

Accra
Permanent
Full-time

1 month ago

BarkaLab is a West African venture studio specializing in fintech and commerce. Headquartered in Ghana, we design, deploy, and scale platforms across both Anglophone and Francophone West Africa—most notably in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and beyond. Our suite of products spans:

Payment systems (mobile?money integrations, embedded finance)
Crypto operations (e.g., BarkaChange)
Value-added services such as embedded betting

Together, our initiatives process over USD?9?million in annual transaction volume across eight countries. Innovation drives us; security, resilience, and uninterrupted uptime are foundational.[ad]Role DescriptionAs CTO, you will:

Report directly to the founders
Own technology strategy and execution across all active ventures
Lead high-load production systems supporting thousands of merchants
Balance strategic architectural thought with hands-on technical leadership and team mentorship

Qualifications1. Technical Architecture & InfrastructureDesign and maintain a modular AWS/Docker infrastructure incorporating IaC, CI/CD, observability, and cost governanceGuide evolution from monolithic systems to containerized or microservices-based architectures, justified by clear ROI2. Rapid MVP DevelopmentTranslate hypotheses into MVPs in 1–2 week sprintsDefine measurable learning goals and adaptation plans for each iteration3. Operational Reliability & SecurityEnsure uninterrupted service delivery and compliance with OWASP, PCI DSS, PII, AML/KYC, and BCEAO regulationsContinuously enhance performance, monitoring, and incident-response processes4. Team Leadership & CultureRecruit, develop, and retain engineers aligned with a “fail-fast, learn-fast” modelCultivate craftsmanship, accountability, peer review, and psychological safety5. Stakeholder EngagementPresent technical trade-offs and roadmaps to founders, investors, and non-technical leaders with clarity

Communicate progress, technical KPIs, and risks effectively

[ad2]Required Qualifications

7+ years of leadership in software engineering—preferably within early-stage, R&D, or startup contexts
Proven success delivering consumer-facing or fintech products under resource constraints
Deep technical expertise in:
PHP with Laravel, Node.js with NestJS, React
Docker/Kubernetes and AWS (IaC, CI/CD, observability, security)
Secure development practices (OWASP Top 10, RBAC, secrets management)
Demonstrated ability to hire, mentor, and retain engineering talent
Fluent English; French proficiency at a business level is strongly preferred

Preferred Experience:

Engineering leadership within a venture studio or incubator environment
Operational experience integrating LLMs, ML pipelines, or data science systems
Familiarity with Francophone West African regulatory frameworks (BCEAO, PCI DSS, AML/KYC)

Why Join BarkaLab?

Strategic Impact – Lead the systems that power real-money movement across West Africa
Speed with Rigor – Iterate rapidly without sacrificing security or code quality
Executive Influence – Contribute to product strategy, funding initiatives, and organizational growth
People-Focused Culture – Hybrid work flexibility, private medical coverage, and a strong professional development budget

[ad]

JobSearch Ghana

Apply Now