Chief Technology Officer (CTO) - Certivo
Location: Hybrid, Seattle (Downtown Seattle)
About Certivo
Certivo is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry with an advanced AI-driven compliance platform. We’re not just building another AI tool—we are developing an agentic infrastructure that transforms how global industries manage product safety, regulatory compliance, and supply chain transparency. Our mission is to empower companies to create safer, environmentally responsible products while reducing operational complexity.
Certivo recently spun out from Pioneer Square Labs (PSL) in partnership with Fortive and is backed by strategic investors, including Pioneer Square Ventures, Fortive, and the AI Studio Fund. This funding underscores our commitment to transforming compliance management through AI-powered solutions, helping manufacturers navigate complex regulations such as RoHS, REACH, PFAS, Conflict Minerals, TSCA, and sustainability frameworks like CSRD.
The Role
As Certivo’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), you will lead our engineering and AI strategy, driving innovation, scalability, and execution. You will define and implement the technical vision, ensuring our AI-powered compliance platform is robust, scalable, and market-leading. You will be a hands-on leader, shaping our technical roadmap, mentoring our engineering team, and collaborating closely with product and business stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Technology Leadership: Define and execute Certivo’s technology strategy, aligning with business objectives.
- AI & Agentic System Development: Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI-powered compliance automation tools, including multi-agent workflows, intelligent document processing, and predictive analytics.
- Scalability & Architecture: Architect a scalable, secure, and high-performing cloud-based compliance platform using AI and machine learning.
- Engineering Management: Build and lead a high-performing engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
- Data & AI Strategy: Oversee the development of AI models for regulatory compliance, supply chain insights, and risk forecasting.
- Product & Compliance Integration: Ensure seamless integration with ERP, PLM, and supply chain management systems.
- Security & Infrastructure: Establish best-in-class security, compliance, and data protection standards, ensuring enterprise-readiness.
- Collaboration & Partnerships: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product, sales, and operations, to drive customer success and market adoption.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for a hands-on technical leader who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, with deep expertise in AI-driven SaaS platforms and enterprise software.
Must-Have Qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in software engineering and technology leadership, with a track record of leading high-performing teams.
- Deep AI/ML expertise, with experience in NLP, LLMs, and agentic frameworks such as LangChain or LangGraph.
- Strong backend engineering experience in Node.js, Python, TypeScript, and cloud services (AWS preferred).
- Experience scaling SaaS platforms, handling large-scale data ingestion, processing, and AI-driven automation.
- Expertise in cloud-native architectures, including microservices, serverless computing (AWS Lambda), and API design.
- Familiarity with regulatory compliance, supply chain data, and ERP/PLM integrations.
- Startup experience, with a strong ability to execute in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
- Security-first mindset, ensuring platform compliance with SOC 2, GDPR, and other industry standards.
Nice-to-Have Qualifications:
- Experience with observability tools like DataDog, distributed databases, and RAG pipelines.
- Knowledge of compliance frameworks like RoHS, REACH, TSCA, PFAS, and Prop 65.
- Previous leadership experience at a venture-backed startup or high-growth SaaS company.
Why Certivo?
- Be at the forefront of AI-driven industrial transformation.
- Work on cutting-edge agentic AI infrastructure and compliance automation.
- Join a well-funded startup backed by Pioneer Square Labs, Fortive, and AI-focused investors.
- Competitive compensation, including equity in a high-potential SaaS platform.
- Hybrid work environment in downtown Seattle.
- Opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven compliance management.
Interview Process
- Initial Conversation with CEO: Discussion on experience, technical leadership, and vision.
- 2 Technical Deep Dives with Engineering Team Members: Review of past projects, system architecture discussions, and AI strategy.
- Team Collaboration Session: Interactive session with the engineering and leadership team.
- Final Interview with CEO: Strategic alignment and leadership vision.
Ready to lead the future of AI-powered compliance? Apply now and help Certivo redefine compliance management for global industries.
Top Skills
What We Do
Pioneer Square Labs is a Seattle-based studio that creates and launches technology startups. We are funded by 14 VCs and 50 angel investors from Seattle, Silicon Valley, Colorado and other parts of the country.
Companies created:
- LumaTax (http://lumatax.com) allows small business owners to file their sales tax with ease.
- Ad Lightning (http://adlightning.com) has a complete set of Ad Quality tools to save time, improve page performance and eliminate costly user experience problems for Publishers and Ad Platforms.
- JetClosing (http://jetclosing.com) uses technology to create a better, more human, real estate title and settlement experience.
- Boundless (http://boundless.com) is a new technology company providing immigrants with the tools, information, and personalized support to navigate their immigration journey with confidence.
