Website LendingWise
Broker Better. Lend Smarter
Job Title: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Location: Remote or Hybrid (Miami, Fl)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Who We Are
We are a profitable, fast-growing B2B SaaS platform powering lenders, brokers, and small financial institutions nationwide. Our platform supports the entire lending lifecycle across private mortgages (bridge, fix-and-flip, DSCR), CRE lending, SBA, merchant cash advances, and more. We have a strong brand, a growing roster of clients like CV3, Cross River Bank, and a dedicated team of 5 person dev team and 2 product owners committed to solving complex challenges in the lending space.
Despite our substantial growth and loyal customer base, we remain entirely self-funded (no VC or private equity). This allows us to chart our own course and maintain flexibility in building out our ambitious product roadmap. Our vision is to continually modernize our platform, stay on the cutting edge of lending technology & integrations, and prime ourselves for a future raise and/or exit—an upside our new CTO will be strongly incentivized to share in.
Why This Role Is Exciting
- Impactful Industry: As a key executive, you will help shape the next generation of lending software in an industry ripe for innovation.
- Equity Participation: We offer an aggressive equity pool for the right candidate. You’ll have a front-row seat to future valuation events (fundraising or exit) that could greatly amplify your stake.
- Proven Platform & Growth: We have a strong brand reputation with consistent ARR, significant revenue from 250+ customers, and a substantial future pipeline.
- Team & Culture: Join a lean, highly motivated core team of 5 developers, 2 testers, and 2 product owners. We value collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
- Full Control & Ownership: With no VC or PE involvement, your technical roadmap will have real influence—this is your chance to shape the entire product suite and technology vision.
Our Current Tech Stack & Challenges
- Stack: PHP (core php and custom MVC framework), MySQL, HTML, Bootstrap, JavaScript, AWS
- Legacy Codebase: Built initially in 2009, our codebase has been refactored to MVC over time but still requires modernization.
- Platform Structure: Multi-tenant with a custom-built ORM for basic CRUD, running on fully scalable AWS infrastructure.
- Ambitious Roadmap: We have big plans—ranging from microservices to advanced analytics and machine learning—but are constrained by resource limitations.
- Team Size: Currently 5 devs, 2 testers, 2 product owners. We need a strategic leader who can motivate, mentor, and expand this team effectively.
What You’ll Do
- Technology Vision & Strategy
- Craft the long-term architecture, product evolution, and roadmap for our entire SaaS platform.
- Balance tech debt repayment with new feature development to keep us competitive and future-ready.
- Team Leadership & Growth
- Manage and mentor a talented dev squad (and quickly add more talent to the bench).
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, high-quality code, and agile delivery.
- Platform Modernization
- Guide the transition from a monolithic, legacy codebase to a scalable, modular, and resilient infrastructure on AWS.
- Evaluate and implement best practices around microservices, automated CI/CD, containerization, and more.
- Lending-Specific Innovations
- Champion innovation in lending technology, leveraging your industry expertise to prioritize the right features and integrations.
- Collaborate with product owners and SME teams to architect solutions for new lending verticals and complex compliance requirements.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with the CEO, product, and sales teams to align technology goals with business objectives.
- Present and communicate technical decisions and trade-offs to leadership, customers, and stakeholders.
- Drive Results in a Bootstrapped Environment
- Navigate resource constraints by being inventive and applying lean engineering principles.
- Identify strategic projects that can deliver the highest ROI and keep the company on track for long-term success.
What We’re Looking For
- Proven Lending Industry Expertise: You understand the nuances of private mortgage lending, CRE, SBA, or similar financial products.
- Seasoned Engineering Leader: 7+ years in technology leadership (Director/VP/CTO) with a track record of shipping scalable SaaS applications.
- Tech Debt Management Experience: Demonstrated success balancing legacy system rewrites with iterative feature delivery.
- Hands-On Technical Skills: Comfort with PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, AWS, plus knowledge of modern DevOps and agile methodologies.
- Growth Mindset & Entrepreneurial Spirit: Thrives in a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment; can rapidly scale teams, processes, and product.
- Culture Fit: Collaborative, transparent, and mission-driven. Willing to roll up your sleeves and lead by example.
What We Offer
- Competitive Compensation + Significant Equity: We firmly believe in rewarding our CTO with an aggressive equity package. When we raise or exit, you will have a meaningful stake.
- Autonomy & Influence: Your ideas and leadership will directly shape our product and our path to market dominance.
- Opportunity for Professional Growth: Join a thriving startup environment where your leadership can propel the team and platform to the next level.
- Work-Life Balance: Flexible work arrangements, remote or hybrid, and a culture built on mutual trust.
Ready to Lead the Future of Lending?
If you’re excited about modernizing a powerful SaaS platform, driving tech strategy in the lending sector, and reaping the rewards of an eventual raise or exit, we want to hear from you!
Apply Now
Submit here on this page, but also send your resume, a brief intro, and any relevant work samples to [chris AT lendingwise DOT com]. Please include “CTO Application – [Your Name]” in the subject line
