OPEN ROLE · RIYADH Chief Technology Officer TradePay · Full-time · B2B Fintech · MENA Reshaping how merchants access working capital through smart, data-driven financial tools.

Sanabil Studio is a venture builder that blends industry expertise, technology, and startup know-how to turn bold ideas into real businesses. We take concepts from zero to launch, and when a venture proves its potential, we back it with seed funding and hands-on support to help it scale.

TradePay is one of those ventures, a fast-growing fintech platform empowering underserved merchants with BNPL and trade-enablement solutions that help SMEs trade, grow, and compete. AI is core to our product and central to how we make credit decisions, monitor risk, and deliver merchant intelligence.

We are looking for a hands-on Chief Technology Officer to set direction, ship product, and build a world-class engineering and data organization in Riyadh. This is a builder role; combining strategic leadership with deep technical execution.

THE ROLE What you'll own here.

• Lead the development of AI-enabled products across credit decisioning, fraud and risk monitoring, dynamic limit management, and inventory and cashflow intelligence.

• Translate complex, real-world data into decision tools that improve accuracy, reduce loss rates, and responsibly expand access to finance.

• Drive a responsible AI approach, including model monitoring, drift detection, explainability, and human-in-the-loop workflows where required.

• Own the architecture and engineering roadmap from pilot through MVP to scale, ensuring systems are secure, scalable, and maintainable.

• Build and operate a modern data and ML platform covering ingestion, feature pipelines, training, serving, experimentation, and monitoring.

• Define AI work streams, milestones, and measurable outcomes; including approval lift, loss reduction, time-to-decision, and merchant growth impact.

• Establish technical standards across code quality, CI/CD, observability, reliability, and documentation.

• Make pragmatic build-versus-buy decisions across infrastructure, data providers, scoring components, KYC tooling, and payment rails.

• Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing engineering and data team in Riyadh.

• Build strong security and privacy foundations that can withstand audits and support future licensing requirements.

• Partner closely with Risk, Operations, Finance, Legal/Compliance, and Partnerships teams.

THE PROFILE You're probably a fit if…

• You have proven experience shipping AI/ML-powered products into production; not just prototypes.

• You bring strong software engineering fundamentals alongside hands-on experience in machine learning and data platforms.

• You have experience in fintech, lending, BNPL, payments, risk, fraud, or underwriting, and understand the importance of correctness in these environments.

• You have a track record of turning complex datasets into real-world decision tools with measurable business impact.

• You have hired, mentored, and led teams in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

• You take full ownership of outcomes and maintain high standards for reliability, security, and scalable architecture.

• You communicate clearly with engineers, executives, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• You are based in Riyadh or open to relocation; this is an on-site leadership role.

• Bonus: Experience with credit bureaus, alternative data, open banking signals, cloud-native architectures at scale, regulated environments, or GCC fintech products.

THE ENVIRONMENT: What working here actually looks like.

• Builder Role, Real Scope: You won’t be maintaining an existing system; you’ll define the architecture, build the team, and own outcomes from day one.

• AI at the Core: AI is central to how TradePay operates, from underwriting to risk monitoring and merchant intelligence, and you will lead that effort.

• Close to the Top: You will work directly with the CEO and leadership team in Riyadh, with fast feedback loops and real influence on company direction.

What You Get From Us

• Competitive pay: A package that reflects your seniority and the market.

• Meaningful equity: Real upside tied to the long-term value you help create.

• Premium gear, day one: Fully set up and ready before your first day.

• Mentorship that matters: Learn from people who have built and scaled ventures.

• An accelerated curve: You’ll learn more here in 12 months than most roles offer in three years.