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Cto Startup Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

Celonis

Field CTO

Raleigh, NC · On-site

We are looking for a visionary and strategic Field CTO with a "learn-it-all" mindset to serve as a high-impact technical advisor for our most strategic prospects and customers. In this role, you will ...

Celonis

Field CTO

Raleigh, NC · On-site

We are looking for a visionary and strategic Field CTO with a "learn-it-all" mindset to serve as a high-impact technical advisor for our most strategic prospects and customers. In this role, you will ...

HireNetworks

Office & Facilities Coordinator

Durham, NC

$17.50 - $23.25/hr

About This Role The work spans administrative support for the CEO and CTO, day-to-day office ... Experience in a startup, biotech, or fast-paced growth-stage company environment * Familiarity with ...

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Cto Startup information

See Raleigh, NC salary details

$24.8K

$161.9K

$268.8K

How much do cto startup jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for cto startup in Raleigh, NC is $161,862.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $128,300.00 and $189,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a CTO startup?

A CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in a startup is responsible for overseeing the company’s technology strategy, product development, and engineering team. They play a key role in building the tech infrastructure, making crucial architectural decisions, and ensuring scalability. In early-stage startups, a CTO often codes and actively contributes to product development, while in later stages, they focus more on leadership and strategy. Their role is essential in aligning technology with business goals and driving innovation.

What are some of the biggest challenges a CTO faces at a startup, and how are they typically addressed?

As a CTO at a startup, you’ll frequently encounter challenges such as managing limited resources, rapidly iterating on product development, and balancing technical debt with new feature innovation. Additionally, you’ll often need to support hiring and mentoring a technical team while aligning technology choices with evolving business needs and investor expectations. These challenges are typically addressed through agile planning, fostering a culture of open communication, and prioritizing tasks that deliver the most value to the business. Startups value CTOs who can remain hands-on when required yet also provide strategic oversight and lead the company through periods of rapid change.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the CTO startup position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a CTO at a startup, you need deep technical expertise, a proven track record in software development or engineering leadership, and experience scaling technology solutions, often backed by a relevant degree. Familiarity with cloud platforms, agile project management tools, and compliance frameworks (like SOC 2 or GDPR) is commonly expected. Strong soft skills such as strategic vision, adaptability, and effective communication are essential to lead and motivate diverse teams in a fast-paced environment. These skills are vital for driving innovation, aligning technology with business goals, and guiding early-stage companies to sustainable growth.

What are popular job titles related to Cto Startup jobs in Raleigh, NC?

For Cto Startup jobs in Raleigh, NC, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Cto Startup jobs in Raleigh, NC look for?

The top searched job categories for Cto Startup jobs in Raleigh, NC are:

Cto Startup jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cto Startup job openings in Raleigh, NC as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 83% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $161,862 per year, or $77.8 per hour.

Founding Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Modern Government Solutions

Raleigh, NC • On-site

Other

Posted 11 days ago

Job description

Role Title: Founding Chief Technology Officer
Location: Remote-first (U.S.)
Job Type: Full-time
Clearance Required: U.S. Citizenship & Top Secret clearance eligibility required
Modern Government Solutions (MGS) is conducting a confidential executive search on behalf of a venture-backed defense technology partner seeking its Founding Chief Technology Officer. The client's identity is withheld at this stage and will be shared with qualified, pre-screened candidates under a non-disclosure agreement. All inquiries are handled discreetly through MGS.
About the Opportunity
Our client is an early-stage, venture-backed company building advanced hardware, sensing, and autonomous systems for defense and national security customers. In a short time the company has moved from concept to field-validated technology, secured early government agreements, and attracted institutional investment. The next phase is about converting proven prototypes into rugged, mission-ready products at production scale, and that mission defines this role.
This is a founding executive seat with meaningful equity and outsized influence over the company's technical direction. It is a builder's role, not a research role: you will lead the teams that design, prototype, manufacture, deploy, and continuously improve products that protect the people who use them.
What You Will Own
  • Technology vision & roadmap. Partner with the CEO and COO to translate customer and operational needs into a multi-year technology strategy, and build the engineering organization to deliver it.
  • AI/ML and edge AI. Lead model development and MLOps for inference that runs on low-power hardware, offline and in degraded environments; not cloud-dependent enterprise AI.
  • Robotics & autonomy. Direct development of autonomous and embedded systems that operate in GPS-denied and communications-denied conditions.
  • Hardware & embedded engineering. Oversee electrical, mechanical, embedded, and systems engineering through ruggedization and environmental (MIL-STD-class) testing.
  • Prototype-to-production. Own the transition from prototype to scalable manufacturing; design for manufacturability, supply-chain qualification, quality and production-test systems, and production scale-up.
  • Engineering leadership & culture. Recruit and develop an elite, multidisciplinary engineering team, and set an execution culture built on speed, ownership, and mission focus.

What We're Looking For
  • 15+ years of hands-on engineering leadership, including taking hardware products from concept through production. Military or aerospace systems experience is a strong plus.
  • Deep, current expertise across machine learning and edge AI, robotics or autonomous systems, and embedded platforms; a leader equally at home in the machine shop and the boardroom.
  • A track record of scaling: standing up manufacturing or contract-manufacturing at volume, and building an engineering organization from a handful of people to twenty-plus who would follow you again.
  • Builder's temperament: comfortable making decisions with incomplete information, hands-on in early-stage development, and driven by mission over title.
  • S. citizenship required, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance (TS/SCI eligibility preferred; an active clearance is a plus), due to federal contract and export-control (ITAR) obligations.
  • Advanced degree in engineering, computer science, robotics, physics, or a related field preferred - though a record of shipped products outweighs academic credentials.

Location, Compensation & Eligibility
  • Location: Remote-first within the U.S., with periodic travel to customer sites and company engagements. Openness to relocation over a multi-year horizon is expected as the company scales its operations.
  • Compensation: Competitive executive salary, meaningful founding equity, performance-based incentives, and comprehensive benefits.
  • Eligibility: U.S. citizenship is required. The client is an equal-opportunity employer; employment decisions are made on the basis of merit and mission fit.

How to Apply
Qualified candidates and referrals may apply in confidence through the Modern Government Solutions careers page or by contacting the MGS recruiting team directly. Pre-screened candidates will be introduced to the client and provided full role details under NDA.

Apply