About the role
We are a Malaysia-based precious metals group developing a digital gold platform.
Our Phase 1 platform is approaching launch, and we are beginning to plan Phase 2, which is expected to introduce broader wallet and payment capabilities.
We already have an established external software development team responsible for building the platform.
We are now looking for an experienced Fractional CTO / Senior Fintech Technology Advisor to represent us independently from the client side, oversee the technical direction of the project, challenge and validate our development partner's recommendations, review development costs and help management plan the next stage of the platform.
This is not a software development position, and we are not looking for another development agency.
The Fractional CTO will work directly with the Chairman/founders.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be expected to:
Attend a weekly meeting with our software development team
Review development progress, priorities, issues and blockers
Independently challenge and validate technical recommendations
Review current technical issues and recommend practical solutions
Review upcoming releases and development plans
Identify technical debt, security concerns and scalability risks
Review backend architecture, databases, APIs and integrations
Review cloud infrastructure, access controls, backups, monitoring and disaster recovery
Review source-code repositories, documentation and deployment processes
Ensure appropriate company ownership and control of source code, infrastructure, credentials and technical documentation
Review payment, KYC and third-party integrations
Review transaction, ledger and reconciliation architecture
Identify vendor dependency and technology continuity risks
Advise management on current and future technology strategy
Phase 1 Technical Review
As part of the initial engagement, we would like the Fractional CTO to independently review our existing Phase 1 platform.
We want to understand:
What has been built and how it has been architected
Whether the current architecture is suitable for production and future growth
Critical technical or security risks
Technical debt requiring attention
Scalability considerations
Cloud and infrastructure setup
Source-code and system ownership
Documentation quality
Deployment and release processes
Third-party dependencies
Backup, recovery and business-continuity arrangements
What should be improved before or after launch
Which components can be reused or expanded for Phase 2
We are looking for practical recommendations and priorities, not simply a theoretical technical report.
Phase 2 Architecture & Planning
A major part of the engagement will be helping management define the technical architecture and roadmap for the next stage of the platform.
Phase 2 is expected to involve areas such as:
Digital wallet architecture
Payment infrastructure
Customer cash and asset ledgers
Double-entry ledger architecture
Payment settlement
Reconciliation
Banking and payment integrations
KYC / AML integrations
API architecture
Security and access controls
Transaction monitoring
Reporting
Scalability and high availability
Future regulatory technology requirements
The Fractional CTO should help us determine what should be built, how it should be architected, what can be reused from Phase 1 and what should be provided by specialist third parties before significant Phase 2 development begins.
Development Pricing & Commercial Oversight
This is an important part of the role.
We want the Fractional CTO to independently review technical and commercial proposals submitted by our software development partner.
This will include:
Reviewing development quotations before management approval
Reviewing proposed developer hourly rates
Reviewing proposed development hours
Assessing whether estimated hours are reasonable for the work required
Reviewing actual hours against approved/estimated hours
Reviewing the number, role and seniority of developers assigned
Reviewing project timelines and resource requirements
Reviewing change requests and additional-cost proposals
Identifying duplicated, unnecessary or over-engineered development
Identifying where existing functionality can be reused
Checking whether additional quoted work should already be included within an existing scope
Reviewing third-party software, API, cloud, infrastructure and licensing costs
Advising whether work is better structured as hourly, fixed-price or milestone-based
Identifying potential cost overruns early
Providing management with an independent technical/commercial view before significant development expenditure is approved
The Fractional CTO will provide recommendations; final commercial approval remains with management.
Weekly Management Reporting
Following the weekly development meeting, we expect a concise management-level report covering:
Development Status — progress against agreed plans and milestones.
Current Issues — significant bugs, blockers and technical problems.
Hours & Costs — estimated versus actual hours, additional charges and potential overruns.
Vendor Performance — quality of delivery, responsiveness and adherence to scope/timeline.
Technical Risks — architecture, security, infrastructure, scalability and operational concerns.
Decisions Required — matters requiring founder/management approval.
Future Planning — Phase 2 architecture, integrations and upcoming technology requirements.
Next Priorities — key actions for the following week.
The ability to translate complex technical matters into clear business language for non-technical management is essential.
Ideal Candidate
We are particularly interested in candidates with previous experience as a:
CTO / Fractional CTO / VP Engineering / Head of Technology / Chief Architect / Senior Fintech Technology Consultant
Ideally with practical experience in:
Fintech
Digital banking
Digital wallets
Payments
E-money / EMI platforms
Financial infrastructure
Wealthtech
Transaction and ledger systems
Reconciliation systems
API integrations
Cloud architecture
Cybersecurity
Experience with Malaysia or Southeast Asian fintech/payment infrastructure would be advantageous.
Experience in gold or precious metals would be useful but is not essential. Strong fintech, payment, ledger and technology leadership experience is more important.
What We Are NOT Looking For
This is not primarily a coding role.
We are not looking for another software developer or software development agency.
We need an independent senior technology professional representing the client side who can understand the technology at a deep level, challenge our development partner constructively and advise management objectively.
Engagement
We expect this to become an ongoing Fractional CTO relationship.
Initially, we anticipate approximately 3–5 hours per week, although this may increase during technical reviews, launches or Phase 2 architecture planning.
Typical involvement will include:
One weekly development-team meeting
Review of technical documents, quotations and proposals
Follow-up with the development team where required
Weekly management summary/report
Discussions with Chairman/founders
Current issue resolution
Ongoing technology and Phase 2 planning
We are open to candidates proposing an:
Hourly arrangement, monthly retainer, or fixed-price structure.
We have intentionally not specified a budget.
Please propose the commercial structure you believe is most appropriate, including your hourly rate and/or monthly/fixed fee, expected hours and what is included.
When Applying
Please provide:
Your previous CTO or senior technology leadership experience.
Examples of fintech, wallet, payment, e-money or banking platforms you have overseen.
Your experience with ledger, settlement and reconciliation architecture.
Your experience supervising outsourced software development teams.
Examples of where you have reviewed or challenged developer quotations, hourly rates, development hours or project costs.
Your experience with cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Any relevant Malaysia/Southeast Asia fintech or payment experience.
Your preferred engagement structure — hourly, monthly or fixed.
Your proposed hourly rate and/or monthly/fixed fee.
Your weekly availability.
Briefly explain what you would review during your first 30 days in this role.
Please begin your application with:
“Fractional CTO – Digital Gold”
Applications from software development agencies seeking to take over the development work are not required.