An international ecom company Internet Revolution is seeking a CTO to build a technology platform for scaling a profitable e-commerce business into international markets.
About the Company and Role:
- The company has been earning for a long time and stably: one of the largest sellers on Wildberries and Ozon, working with its own imports from China, developing thousands of profitable product items and selling in Russia and Kazakhstan. The business grows on its own profit, without external investments.
- The next stage is an order-of-magnitude growth and entry into new markets. 12 countries have already been explored: from Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf. Such a scale cannot be achieved by hiring people alone. Technology must withstand it. We need a person who will design and build a platform for a business 10 times larger than the current scale.
What Needs to Be Built:
A technology platform — the second supporting structure of the business alongside trade.
Key directions:
- End-to-end calculation of the economics of each product — from the purchase price in China to net profit — ready before the company pays for the product.
- The basis of growth is an existing pipeline for launching new products: the platform must multiply its throughput and teach the company to grow not only horizontally but also vertically in developed niches — without breaking what already generates profit.
- Product matrix managed by the platform: what to buy, when to replenish, what to strengthen, what to withdraw from the assortment — the system decides, not a meeting.
- Entry into a new country — a refined procedure: each subsequent market opens in a standard mode, not as a year-long project.
- AI agents keep operational routine within the set boundaries; exceptions and decisions that cannot be entrusted to a machine remain for people.
- Reliability is part of the structure, not a wish: technology failure should not stop sales for an hour; the platform insures the business against technical catastrophes.
The structure is calculated not only for its own trade: the same processes — procurement, analytics, logistics — the platform must be able to provide as a service to external client-sellers. And the international direction is built separately as a separate platform, from scratch — and this is the second circuit of your work.
Why This is a Strong Challenge:
- In the CTO market, they usually offer one of two scenarios: tidying up in someone else's systems or building freely in a company that has not yet proven its economics.
- This is a different case. There is a working profitable business, years of accumulated data, internal development, and owners who understand that the current structure cannot withstand the next scale.
- You will have to design a new technological core and migrate a live business to it without stopping sales.
- You choose the architecture, technologies, and team. But every decision will be quickly verified by money.
- The measure of your result is the company's profit, not the number of tasks completed.
Role Framework:
- Direct reporting to the owners.
- Participation in the management council of the group of companies.
- Creation and leadership of a separate IT company within the group.
- Responsibility for two circuits: the platform of the current business and the international direction.
- Formation of engineering teams for both directions.
- Initial team of about 10 people, further growth according to your plan and justification.
What Will Be Considered Success in 12–18 Months:
- The decision to purchase a product is based on a full calculation of its economics before the company pays the supplier.
- A new country opens according to a clear procedure, without heroism and manual control of each step.
- The engineering team supports the platform without your daily involvement.
- There are no critical nodes tied to one person, including you.
- The contribution of technology to profit is visible in the reporting figures, not just in presentations.
Who We Are Looking For:
- We need not a development administrator or a classic CIO.
- We need an engineering leader who knows how to build complex systems and connect technology with business economics.
Important:
- You are an engineer at heart: you have designed and built complex systems yourself, not just accepted others' work.
- You know how to work with a live business that cannot be stopped for the sake of beautiful architecture.
- You understand what turnover, margin, payback, launch speed, and the impact of technology on profit are.
- You have assembled strong engineering teams and know how to retain people who have a choice.
- You can integrate into existing development and strengthen it, rather than starting from scratch.
- You have practical experience with AI, automation, or intelligent agents in real processes.
- You can argue with the owners on substance and prove your position with arguments.
- Experience in e-commerce, trade, logistics, marketplaces, retail tech, data products, or international platforms will be an advantage, but not a strict requirement.
What's Important to Know in Advance:
- Owners and the team are deeply involved in the business and argue on substance. You will have to prove your position with arguments. On the other hand, decisions made are executed quickly, without months of approvals.
- You will have to build without stopping the current business: sales happen every day, and there will be no pauses for platform rebuilding.
- Business trips to Shanghai and countries the company will enter as the international direction develops.
Conditions:
- Remuneration is at the level of the top 20% of the market for managers of this class and grows with results.
- Specific conditions are discussed in person with the owners.
How to Apply with a Cover Letter:
- What is the most complex relevant system you have built, and what was your specific role in it?
- Why is the task interesting to you?
