Chief Technology Officer

Job Description:

Job Title
:
Chief Technology Officer
Operating Company: Environmental Solutions Group - Digital Solutions
Location
:
Austin, TX
Reports to
: VP Digital
Department: Information Technology

POSITION SUMMARY:
Environmental Solutions Group (ESG) is hiring a Chief Technology Officer to lead the engineering organization behind our digital portfolio - including 3rd Eye , Soft-Pak , Connected Collections , telematics, video intelligence, and our AI and data platforms. This is an execution-focused leadership role: the CTO owns the architecture, platforms, and operations that bring our products to life and keep them running reliably for our customers.

Reporting to the VP Digital and partnering with peers leading Product + Agile and Agile Excellence, the CTO leads roughly 13 engineering professionals across two functional groups:
Architecture & Quality (principal architects, release engineering, QA, and security) and Platforms & Operations (cloud, edge, AI platform, MLOps, SRE, and Dev Ops).
We're growing fast. We're looking for a leader who holds the team accountable to timelines while creating a healthy, positive team atmosphere - someone who hires skilled, positive people who genuinely care about their internal partners and external customers, and who consistently delivers value to everyone they work with.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Engineering Delivery & Accountability
Own end-to-end engineering delivery across ESG's digital platforms - from architecture through build, release, and production operations
Hold the engineering team accountable to commitments and timelines; surface risks early and remove blockers
Partner with the Head of Product + Agile to translate the product roadmap into achievable engineering plans
Partner with the Head of Agile Excellence to maintain disciplined agile execution and continuous improvement

Architecture, Quality & Security
Set and govern the technical architecture for cloud platforms, edge devices, and AI systems
Maintain engineering standards, release readiness gates, and quality across the portfolio
Ensure all platforms are secure (Dev Sec Ops ), reliable, scalable, and cost-effective

Platforms & Operations
Lead the teams that build and operate cloud, edge, AI/ML, MLOps, SRE, and Dev Ops capabilities
Drive production reliability, incident response, and cost discipline across the platform footprint
Modernize CI/CD, automation, and developer tooling to improve velocity

People & Culture
Build and lead a healthy, high-performing engineering team where people are both accountable and supported
Hire skilled, positive engineers and managers who care deeply about their internal partners and external customers
Develop senior managers and architects; create growth paths, give clear feedback, and celebrate the work
Foster psychological safety, ownership, and a no-blame culture of continuous improvement

Cross-Functional Partnership & Communication
Partner closely with Product, Agile Excellence, Sales, and the business to align on priorities and tradeoffs
Communicate engineering progress, risks, and decisions clearly to executive leadership and stakeholders

QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's degree required;
Master's degree preferred
12+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience
7+ years leading engineering organizations of 30+ people, including senior managers and principal-level architects
Proven track record of delivering complex software and platform initiatives on time and on budget
Deep hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS / Azure / Google Cloud Platform), modern software architecture, and AI/ML systems
Strong understanding of Dev Ops, SRE, and platform engineering practices in production environments
Demonstrated ability to build healthy, high-performing engineering cultures - not just deliver software
Experience hiring and developing senior engineering talent in competitive markets
Excellent communication, listening, and stakeholder management skills
Preferred: experience in IoT, telematics, fleet management, video intelligence, or industrial technology environments.

KEY ATTRIBUTES:
Accountability: Holds self and the team accountable to commitments and timelines. Confronts problems directly
and respectfully. Communicates progress, risks, and changes honestly and on time. Owns outcomes - good and bad.
Customer Focus: Understands that engineering exists to deliver value to internal partners (Product, Agile, the business) and to external customers using our products in the field. Builds with that purpose in mind every day.
Team Culture: Creates an environment where people feel respected, trusted, and empowered to do their best
work. Disagrees without disrespecting. Coaches rather than blames. Celebrates wins openly and tackles setbacks
together.
Execution Discipline: Pairs vision with shipping. Comfortable in both whiteboard architecture sessions and weekly delivery standups. Sweats the details when it matters and trusts the team when it doesn't.
Communication: Clear, concise, and candid. Translates technical…