Chief Technology Officer

Title: Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Reporting to: CEO / Director of Growth Location: Surat Type: Full‑time Role summary The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will lead all technology initiatives for an IT company focused on the diamonds business, with a strong emphasis on AI, BI/analytics, infrastructure modernization, and cloud migration. The CTO will translate business growth directions from the CEO / Growth Director into executable technology roadmaps and deliver measurable outcomes across products, platforms, and internal systems.​ Key responsibilities Define and own the technology vision and roadmap for the diamond’s domain, aligned with business growth, digital transformation, and profitability goals.​ Lead AI and data/BI initiatives (forecasting, pricing, grading/quality analytics, recommendation engines, process automation) that create competitive advantage and improve operational efficiency.​ Translate directions from the Growth Director / CEO into clear technology programs, milestones, and KPIs, and provide regular progress, risk, and benefit realization updates.​ Architect and oversee enterprise data platforms, data governance, and integration between ERP, inventory, manufacturing, CRM, e‑commerce, and lab systems.​ Design and execute the cloud migration strategy (assessment, roadmap, security, tools, cutover plans) ensuring business continuity, scalability, and cost optimization.​ Oversee on‑premise and cloud infrastructure (servers, networks, storage, endpoints) to ensure reliability, performance, and security across offices and production locations.​ Drive hardware refresh and modernization (production‑floor devices, scanners, imaging/grading systems, end‑user devices, and network gear) in line with security and performance standards.​ Establish and enforce robust cybersecurity, data protection, backup/DR, and access control practices across on‑prem and cloud environments.​ Build and lead a high‑performing technology team, including hiring, mentoring, performance management, and vendor/partner governance.​ Evaluate and manage external technology partners (cloud providers, AI platforms, ERP/CRM vendors, diamond‑tech vendors) to accelerate delivery and innovation.​ Implement strong IT governance, documentation, and change‑management processes balancing speed of innovation with stability and compliance.​ Additional responsibilities – organization, AI, and SDLC Redesign the IT organization structure and compensation model, including moving the team to a performance‑linked variable pay structure tied to clear, measurable KPIs and project outcomes.​ Drive adoption of AI‑powered tools in development, testing, DevOps, support, and analytics to significantly improve productivity and enable a leaner engineering team over time without compromising delivery quality.​ Standardize and enforce a company‑wide SDLC, including coding standards, branching strategy, code reviews, CI/CD, testing levels, documentation, and release management for all products and projects.​ Establish continuous improvement loops (metrics, retrospectives, tooling reviews) to systematically remove waste from the SDLC and optimize capacity, cost, and quality.​ Required qualifications 15–18+ years of experience in technology leadership roles, including 5+ years as Architect / Head of Technology / CTO.​ Strong background in enterprise application design, data platforms, and integrations, with hands‑on exposure to AI/ML or advanced analytics projects.​ Proven track record of leading cloud migration or hybrid‑cloud transformations (AWS/Azure/GCP) in mid‑size or enterprise environments.​ Experience managing infrastructure and hardware (data centres, networks, endpoints) along with cloud platforms.​ Domain experience in diamonds, jewellery, gems, luxury retail, or manufacturing/supply‑chain intensive businesses is highly desirable.​ Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to work closely with business leadership and non‑technical teams.​ Strategic and hands‑on; comfortable switching between architecture/roadmap and practical problem solving.​ Outcome‑oriented with a bias for execution, measurement, and continuous improvement.​ Comfortable in fast‑growing, entrepreneurial environments and able to set up processes, standards, and teams from scratch.