Co-Founding CTO

ExecutiveOn-site
CompanyClera
LocationMunich
CategorySoftware Engineering
DepartmentEngineering
SeniorityExecutive
WorkplaceOn-site
Posted2026-09-24
Viaashby

Description

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is a co-founder role at a pre-seed AI-powered smart home intelligence platform, where you will own the full technical vision and architecture. You will work at the intersection of IoT, cloud, and AI/ML to build systems that help properties detect anomalies, optimize energy, and manage connected devices. Your decisions will shape the product and engineering culture from the ground up.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Own and evolve the end-to-end technical architecture across IoT, cloud, and AI/ML layers.
  • Lead and grow the engineering team, including hiring and mentoring engineers.
  • Drive the technical side of the product roadmap, balancing innovation with practical execution.
  • Write production code and solve critical technical problems hands-on alongside your team.
  • Represent the technical vision to investors, partners, and external stakeholders.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

  • 10+ years of experience in software engineering or technical leadership, with 3+ years in senior technical leadership roles.
  • Proven 0-to-1 startup experience as a co-founder or early CTO, not a purely large-company background.
  • Strong IoT and embedded systems background with hands-on product shipping experience.
  • Cloud architecture expertise, ideally on AWS, with demonstrated ability to design and deploy scalable systems.
  • AI/ML product experience applied to real-world, production systems.
  • Experience building and leading an engineering team from scratch.
  • Hands-on coder who actively writes production code, not purely a manager.
  • Hardware and software crossover experience, with an understanding of embedded and software systems integration.
  • Familiarity with smart home, building tech, or energy management domains is a plus.
  • German or Spanish language skills are a plus.
  • Comfortable working with a stack that includes React, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Raspberry Pi, and IoT platforms.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

  • Salary range: 60,000 to 100,000 EUR annually, discussed case by case.
  • Co-founding equity up to 5% via an earn-in structure.
  • Visa sponsorship is not available.

LOCATION

This is a primarily on-site role based in Munich, Germany, with connections to Mallorca, Spain. Candidates must be based in or willing to relocate to the primary location.