Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Job summary

Accountable for the end-to-end technology strategy, architecture, and engineering delivery of a next-generation identity and credential platform. Leads the AI-driven transformation of engineering practices while ensuring reliability and security in highly regulated government environments.

Job details

Company DescriptionCanadian Bank Note Company (CBN) is a leader and trusted provider of secure document and adjacent enterprise-level system solutions across the following domains: border security, civil identity, driver licence/identification and vehicle information, excise control, currency, lotteries and charitable gaming.Our Corporate Philosophy and 7 Core Principles shape and guide our corporate behaviours and underpin the sense of community you will experience at CBN. We seek long-term relationships with our employees and offer a competitive compensation package that includes health, medical and life insurance benefits and a defined contribution pension plan with company matching.Job DescriptionJob Title: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Peers: Chief Product Officer (CPO), SystemsJob Type: Permanent, Full-TimeJob Location: Ottawa, ONWork Model: HybridJob Status: Existing Vacancy Mandatory RequirementsMust be legally eligible to work in CanadaMust be able to obtain/maintain Government of Canada Secret (Level II) security clearanceMust be able to travel occasionally to support global customer engagementsOpportunity OverviewCBN is building a next-generation civilian foundational identity platform for governments around the world. We are evolving from a portfolio of standalone, customer-specific solutions to a unified platform that provides, modern foundation for identity, credentialing, and border management at national scale.This Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role sits within our Identity Solutions business unit, a strategic growth area for the organization. This is a foundational leadership opportunity to define the engineering culture, architecture, and organization behind the platform while accelerating an AI-driven transformation. You will partner closely with the product organization, engage directly with government customers worldwide, and set technical direction for products that touch the lives of millions of citizens globally.If you want to build technology that matters on a national scale, with the sponsorship and investment to do it, this is the role.Position SummaryAs Chief Technology Officer (CTO) you will be accountable for the end-to-end technology strategy, architecture, engineering delivery, and production operations of CBN’s next-generation, highly regulated identity and credential platform.You will build on and lead a high-performing engineering organization while balancing speed, security and reliability. You will also serve as a key external technology leader, representing the technology agenda to customers, regulators, partners, and the board, bringing a strong customer orientation to ensure the platform evolves from real government needs and multi-year delivery commitments.This is a transformation focused CTO role, combining platform modernization, disciplined delivery, and AI‑enabled engineering at scale.Key ResponsibilitiesPlatform Strategy and ArchitectureOwn and drive the target platform architecture, technology roadmap, and key technology decisionsBalance near-term delivery priorities with long-term scalability, maintainability, and architectural integrityEstablish architectural governance and enable reusable platform capabilities across deploymentsDelivery Execution and Operating ModelDrive disciplined, predictable delivery against customer commitments and contractual milestonesEstablish and evolve a scalable technology operating model (governance, planning, prioritization, execution)Ensure transparent reporting of delivery progress, risks, and outcomesAI-Enabled Engineering TransformationEmbed AI-enabled development practices across the SDLC (engineering, testing, documentation, operations)Improve speed, quality, and productivity through measurable outcomes (e.g., cycle time, quality, reliability)Lead adoption of modern engineering practices while maintaining strong controls and standardsRegulated Deployments and OperationsEnable deployment across customer-controlled environments (including on-premises and restricted connectivity)Ensure robust “Day 2” operations (patching, observability, incident response, configuration management)Design solutions that are operable in real-world, highly regulated government environmentsReliability, SRE, and Production OperationsEstablish and mature SRE practices, observability standards, incident management, and release governanceLead major incident response and drive continuous operational improvementEnsure overall platform reliability, resilience, and performanceSecurity, Privacy, and CompliancePartner with enterprise teams to embed secure-by-design and privacy-by-design principlesEnsure audit readiness and compliance with applicable standards (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001/27701)Integrate security and compliance into engineering workflows, architecture, and delivery practicesExternal Technology LeadershipEngage directly with government customers, procurement stakeholders, regulators, and partnersSupport technical discovery, solution shaping, and delivery confidenceTranslate technical complexity into clear, executive-level communicationOrganizational LeadershipBuild and lead a high-performing engineering leadership team across multiple domainsEstablish a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvementDevelop talent, strengthen leadership bench, and drive succession planning across the organizationCustomer-Led Platform EvolutionPartner with Product and customer-facing leaders to translate government needs into scalable platform capabilitiesIncorporate feedback from deployments to improve usability, operability, and time-to-valueBalance customer-driven enhancements with long-term platform and architectural integrityProduct and Go-to-Market PartnershipOperate as a close peer to the Chief Product Officer and broader Go-To-Market leadershipEnsure roadmap commitments are technically viable, appropriately sequenced, and aligned to platform strategySupport customer engagements where required to strengthen credibility and delivery confidenceQualificationsExecutive engineering leadership15+ years in software engineering leadership, including 5+ years as a CTO, SVP Engineering, or equivalent, with accountability for delivery, operations, and outcomes.Platform at scaleDemonstrated success building and operating a customer-facing platform with high availability, strong security posture, and mature operational practices.AI-native engineering leadershipDemonstrated experience shipping production software using AI-assisted development practices across the engineering organization (e.g., coding copilots, AI-driven testing, automation, and DevOps), with measurable improvements in throughput, quality, and/or reliability.Regulated environmentsExperience delivering in highly regulated contexts (e.g., government, identity, financial services, payments, healthcare, or critical infrastructure) and navigating enterprise security reviews, audits, and procurement requirements.Deployment complexityHands-on experience supporting customer-controlled deployments (on-premises and/or dedicated cloud) and operating under restricted connectivity where applicable.Technical breadth and depthStrong grounding in distributed systems, cloud architecture, IAM, encryption/key management, secure SDLC, observability, and risk management, with sound judgment on modern platform trade-offs in highly regulated environments.Organizational leadershipProven ability to hire and lead senior engineering leaders, scale teams across geographies, build succession, and create a culture of excellence and accountability.Executive communicationCredible, clear communicator with executives, boards, customers, and regulators; able to explain complex trade-offs and earn trust.Additional InformationEqual Opportunity StatementOur organization is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace. We actively encourage applications from women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and LGBTQ2+ individuals.We are dedicated to removing barriers and fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects society and we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive recruitment process in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).If you require accommodation at any stage of the hiring process, please contact us at [email protected] so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

What you’ll do

Accountable for the end-to-end technology strategy, architecture, and engineering delivery of a next-generation identity and credential platform. Leads the AI-driven transformation of engineering practices while ensuring reliability and security in highly regulated government environments.

Requirements

Requires over 15 years of software engineering leadership experience, including at least 5 years in an executive role like CTO or SVP. Must have a proven track record of building scalable platforms in regulated sectors and implementing AI-assisted development practices.

Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Defined Contribution Pension Plan
• Company Matching

Listed skills

• Customer · Preferred
• Reliability · Preferred
• Engineering Practices · Preferred
• Leadership · Preferred
• management · Preferred
• Organization · Preferred
• Technical · Preferred
• Development · Preferred
• Production · Preferred
• Software · Preferred
• AI-assisted development · Preferred
• Compliance · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Software Engineering Leadership
• Platform Architecture
• AI-Enabled Engineering
• SRE Practices
• Secure SDLC
• Distributed Systems
• Cloud Architecture
• IAM
• Encryption
• Risk Management
• Executive Communication
• Organizational Leadership
• Incident Management
• Compliance Governance
• Strategic Planning
• Product Partnership

Job areas

• Technology
• Management & Leadership
• Software
• Engineering
• Government & Public Sector

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