Chief Technology Officer

Novalearn is seeking an experienced and visionary Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the Company's technology strategy and drive the next phase of innovation and growth. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our technology platforms, build scalable digital products, and develop a world-class engineering organisation.

As CTO, you will provide strategic leadership across software engineering, technology architecture, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, AI-powered products and technologies, and technology operations. Working closely with the CEO and cross-functional teams, you will translate business strategy into technology solutions that drive innovation, operational excellence, and long-term business success.

About the Role

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is responsible for defining and executing the Company's technology strategy while ensuring technology initiatives support business objectives, product innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.

You will lead the Company's technology function, including software engineering, product development, solution architecture, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, AI-powered products and technologies, and technology operations. You will define and execute the Company's technology vision, strengthen engineering excellence, and build a high-performing technology organisation capable of supporting rapid growth and future innovation.

This role requires a strategic technology leader who combines strong business acumen with deep technical expertise. The successful candidate will provide executive leadership while remaining actively involved in technology architecture, engineering direction, and critical technical decision-making when required.

Key Responsibilities

1) Technology Strategy & Leadership

Develop, communicate, and execute the Company's technology vision, strategy, and long-term technology roadmap.

Align technology initiatives with the Company's business strategy, product roadmap, and organisational objectives.

Identify, evaluate, and recommend emerging technologies, AI innovations, cloud solutions, and engineering practices that support innovation, scalability, and business growth.

Establish enterprise architecture principles, engineering standards, software development methodologies, technology governance frameworks, and technical best practices.

Lead technology planning, budgeting, technology investment decisions, vendor selection, and resource allocation.

Drive digital transformation initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, customer experience, and product innovation.

Provide strategic technology advice and recommendations to the CEO and senior management on technology investments, opportunities, and risks.

Identify technology risks and implement mitigation strategies to ensure business continuity, operational resilience, and long-term sustainability.

2) Software Engineering & Product Development

Lead the Company's software engineering function across the full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including planning, architecture, design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance, and continuous improvement.

Ensure software products are scalable, secure, reliable, maintainable, and aligned with business objectives and customer needs.

Define engineering methodologies, coding standards, software quality practices, release management processes, and engineering best practices.

Review and approve software architecture, technical designs, and engineering solutions.

Collaborate closely with Product, Curriculum, Operations, and Business teams to translate business requirements into innovative and scalable technology solutions.

Drive engineering excellence by promoting automation, code quality, software testing, performance optimisation, and continuous improvement.

Monitor engineering performance and ensure technology projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

3) Technology Architecture & Technical Leadership

The CTO is expected to remain technically proficient and provide leadership on critical technical decisions across the organisation.

Responsibilities include:

Define the Company's technology architecture and long-term technical direction.

Design scalable, resilient, secure, and future-ready technology solutions.

Review and approve application architecture, API design, database architecture, cloud infrastructure, system integrations, and performance optimisation strategies.

Guide engineering teams on software design patterns, architecture decisions, technology selection, and engineering best practices.

Conduct architecture and code reviews to ensure engineering excellence, software quality, and maintainability.

Provide technical leadership during complex engineering initiatives and critical production incidents.

Promote innovation, automation, and continuous technical improvement across the engineering organisation.

Preferred Technical Expertise

React.js

Node.js

Python

RESTful APIs

Microservices Architecture

SQL & NoSQL Databases

AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform

DevOps & CI/CD

Software Architecture & System Design

AI/ML Integration

Application Security

4) Infrastructure, DevOps & Technology Operations

Lead the management of cloud infrastructure, hosting environments, networking, and production systems.

Ensure high availability, scalability, reliability, performance, and security across all technology platforms.

Develop and maintain disaster recovery, backup, and business continuity plans.

Establish infrastructure monitoring, logging, alerting, incident management, and service reliability processes.

Drive infrastructure automation, deployment pipelines, and DevOps best practices.

Optimise cloud infrastructure utilisation, system performance, and technology operating costs.

Establish key technology performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics to continuously improve service reliability and platform performance.

5) Cybersecurity, Risk & Technology Governance

Develop and maintain the Company's cybersecurity strategy and technology governance framework.

Ensure compliance with applicable security standards, privacy regulations, data protection requirements, and organisational policies.

Establish information security policies, identity and access management controls, vulnerability management, and incident response procedures.

Identify, assess, and mitigate technology-related risks.

Promote secure software development practices and foster cybersecurity awareness across the organisation.

Ensure technology systems support business continuity, resilience, and regulatory compliance.

6) Stakeholder Management & Business Partnership

Partner closely with the CEO and senior management to ensure technology initiatives support strategic business priorities.

Collaborate with Product, Curriculum, Operations, Sales, and Marketing teams to deliver technology solutions that create measurable business value.

Translate business requirements into scalable, practical, and sustainable technology solutions.

Present technology strategies, investment proposals, project updates, technical recommendations, and risk assessments to senior stakeholders.

Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical.

Build and manage strong relationships with technology vendors, consultants, and strategic partners.

7) People Leadership

Build, lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing engineering organisation.

Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain top engineering talent.

Develop leadership capability, succession planning, and career development pathways within the technology function.

Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, inclusion, and continuous learning.

Establish performance objectives, conduct performance reviews, and provide coaching to support employee development.

Promote engineering excellence, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional collaboration across teams.

Experience

Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in software engineering, software development, or technology, with a proven track record of delivering scalable, secure, and enterprise-grade software solutions.

Minimum 3 years in a senior technology leadership role, such as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Head of Engineering, Engineering Manager, Technical Lead, or a similar leadership position.

Proven experience in IT Strategy, aligning technology initiatives with business objectives and long-term product vision.

Demonstrated ability in Project Management, leading complex, multi-stakeholder technology initiatives from planning to delivery.

Background in Product Development, collaborating with product and educational teams to create user-centered digital learning solutions.

Experience building and leading high-performing engineering teams, with inclusive leadership and mentoring skills.

Deep understanding of cloud platforms, data analytics, and AI or machine learning applications, ideally in edtech or related domains.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain technical topics to non-technical.

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Familiarity with education technology standards, data privacy regulations, and secure handling of student and school data is an advantage.

How to Apply

If you have the vision, leadership, and technical expertise to drive innovation and shape the future of our technology, we invite you to apply.

Please submit your application by clicking Apply on LinkedIn and email your application to nursyafiqah.mz@novalearn.org with the subject line "Application – Chief Technology Officer (CTO)".

Your application should include:

Your latest resume/CV

A cover letter (optional but encouraged)

A portfolio or examples of products, platforms, or technology projects you have led or contributed to.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Pay: RM7,000.00 - RM18,000.00 per month

Benefits:

Flexible schedule

Opportunities for promotion

Professional development

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur)