Chief Technology Officer

We’re creating a healthier web where communities thrive.

Open Web is on a mission to increase the quality of conversations online. We build technologies that create thriving and engaged communities, reduce toxicity, and increase safety — improving the quality of civil discourse and supporting independent journalism. Today, Open Web works with more than 5,000 top-tier publishers (including News Corp, Yahoo, CBS, Fox News, Hearst, Refinery 29 and more) and hosts 150 million monthly active users.

Founded in 2015, Open Web has over 250 employees between New York City, London, Paris, San Diego, Toronto, and Tel Aviv. We are backed by world-class investors, including Georgian, Insight Partners, Index Ventures, AltaIR Capital, and more. We’re crafting technology that brings people together and fosters healthy discussion. It starts with us. Are you in?

About the role:

As a business executive and overall decision-maker for Open Web’s technology strategy and Operations, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will be responsible for both establishing and carrying out the overall technology strategy for the company, as well as ensuring that the members of the engineering organization are aligned with the needs and goals of the business.

What You’ll Get To Do:

• Align with the CEO (and larger executive team) on overall business objectives.
• Partner with the Head of Product to prioritize the engineering work to execute against business objectives.
• Identify and prioritize foundational technology and research, and development initiatives.
• Define the roadmap for the holistic system architecture, which is required to execute the product vision and preserve business continuity.
• Communicate business strategy and how that translates to technical strategy within the engineering organization.
• Translate and communicate technical strategy as it relates to executing against business objectives to the executive team and the board.
• Establish and govern the software development lifecycle and technical project management systems employed by the wider organization.
• Manage an innovation process that identifies ways that Open Web could leverage information systems and technologies to achieve a strategic advantage, greater profitability, and reduced operational expenditures.
• Direct and manage a distributed technology department
• Govern departmental budgets, the technology department organizational structure, and technical hiring needs and processes.
• Build and articulate the framework for decision-making regarding build vs. buy vs. partner decisions.
• Represent the organization’s technology department and technology products to external stakeholders.

The Skills and Experience You Bring:

• 10+ years in Software Engineering with 5+ years in senior technology leadership (CTO, SVP Engineering, or equivalent).
• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Proven experience scaling large, distributed systems (preferably high-traffic consumer or SaaS platforms).
• Deep knowledge of cloud architecture (AWS / GCP), Dev Ops, CI/CD, and Agile methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with data, analytics, AI/ML, and content moderation technologies.
• Track record of leading global engineering teams (50+ FTEs) with a focus on collaboration and delivery.
• Strong background in real‑time systems, APIs, and data pipelines.
• Demonstrated success in aligning technology strategy with business outcomes.
• Familiarity with Trust & Safety, moderation, or community management systems preferred.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, highly motivated, assertive, team player, ‘can‑do’ attitude.
• A proven ability to bridge strategic vision and hands‑on leadership, fostering innovation, technical excellence, and team growth.
• Customer‑first and a results‑driven mindset!
• Must be able to join us in our New York office 3x a week.

Preferred Attributes:

• Experience in media, ad‑tech, or social/community platforms.
• Values transparency, ethics, and inclusion in technology and leadership.
• Balance of strategic vision and hands‑on technical understanding.

What You'll Get:

Our Chief Technology Officer…