Chief Technology Officer

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Aviation Technology Scale-Up | Europe (Spain preferred) A high-growth aviation technology scale-up is appointing a hands-on Chief Technology Officer to lead the business through a critical phase of rapid expansion and technology transformation across global airline and airport programmes. This is a doer–leader role for a CTO who combines deep technical credibility with enterprise-grade delivery and a consultative commercial mindset. Europe-based, with Spain strongly preferred. Relocation support available. The opportunity The business is scaling quickly and competing in a demanding aviation technology market. The CTO will play a central role in re-engineering both technology and delivery, while supporting new business growth alongside BAU commitments. You will remain close to the detail — able to understand all areas of the technology, challenge architectural decisions, and step in when required — while setting the direction and raising standards across the organisation. What you’ll own End-to-end technology leadership across software engineering, architecture, DevOps, SRE, QA, infrastructure, and release management, with an enterprise delivery mindset Driving process and technology re-engineering, formalising structure, delivery governance, and enterprise interfaces as the company scales Supporting new business growth alongside BAU delivery, operating in a consultative and commercially aware way Leading a next-generation platform build as part of a wider technology transformation Restructuring teams and layers to remove overload, improve ways of working, and lift energy — without micromanagement Rebalancing a Globally unbalanced team footprint. Strong people leadership, including managing developers in an AI-enabled engineering environment, maximising productivity and quality through effective use of AI What we’re looking for Proven CTO or senior technology leadership experience within a rapidly scaling product or platform business (Airline experience Essential). Or a Senior Product Leader, Head of Architecture, Head of Release, or Head of Software Delivery ready to step into a CTO role Deep understanding of modern software engineering and delivery at enterprise scale Aviation technology experience is essential — airline, airport, or vendor-side environments. Offer/ Order or NDC very much appreciated. Experience competing in a tough, high-stakes aviation technology market Background in organisations that have undergone rapid scale and platform transformation strongly preferred Confident, resilient leader who can balance urgency, quality, and commercial outcomes This is a rare opportunity to shape the technology strategy and delivery engine of a growing aviation tech business at a pivotal moment in its journey. For a confidential conversation: Thornton Gregory +44 (0)