CTO wanted for AI-first full stack Legal Operating System

You're a technical architect and hands-on builder who will design and build the AI operating system for legal services from the ground up. You bring:

Core Technical Skills:
• Several years full-stack development (Frontend: React/TypeScript, Backend: Node.js or Python)
• Production experience shipping scalable, multi-tenant SaaS platforms
• Workflow orchestration expertise (n8n, or similar automation platforms)
• API-first architecture experience—you've integrated 5+ third-party services in production
• Database design (PostgreSQL, ideally with pgvector or similar vector extensions)
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS or Azure), containerization (Docker), and CI/CD pipelines
• Security & compliance mindset

Leadership & Execution:
• Team coordination experience—you can lead and align a small technical team
• Architectural decision-making—you know when to build, when to integrate, and how to create defensible technical moats
• Pragmatic builder mentality—you write code, review PRs, and ship production systems

Domain & Communication:

• Fluent in German and English (written and spoken)
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders
• Bonus: Experience in regulated industries or with AI/ML systems

Mindset:
• Excited by hard problems: automating unstructured workflows, building data flywheels
• Thrive in early-stage environments where you define the technical foundation
• Want to build the operating system for a €90B industry—not just another tool

Please note: if you are very much interested in realizing our vision, but lack some of the skills listed here, please do still contact us. We want a co-founder driven by passion to create something great, with a can-do attitude and will-learn mindset more than anything else.

• Full stack
• React
• Node.js

You have strengths in...

• numbers, data and logic
• pushing and getting things done
• structuring and strategic thinking

As CTO, you'll architect and build the AI operating system that automates legal services at scale. You will also build up systems and processes that automate our own processes as much as possible. And you'll own the technical vision and execution across the entire stack:

1. System Architecture & Technical Strategy
• Design the full-stack architecture (current thinking): n8n orchestration layer, React frontend, Node.js/Python backend, PostgreSQL database (with pgvector for AI)
• Make strategic "build vs. buy" decisions and define the tech roadmap. We do not want to build commodities, rather use API-first best of class tools for this, and only build our differentiators such as the automation layer and custom use cases on top of those.
• Ensure security, scalability, and compliance (GDPR, §203 StGB) are built into every layer

2. Orchestration Layer & Workflow Automation
• Architect and implement the n8n-based workflow engine that powers automated legal processes
• Build workflows that go from client intake → AI analysis → document generation → lawyer review → delivery
• Create the "Legal Engineer" interface that allows lawyers to customize workflows without code

3. API Integration & Backend Development
• Integrate 10+ third-party services via REST APIs and webhooks: Actaport (LPMS), fynk (CLM), iDenfy (KYC), Placetel (VoIP), Xero (accounting), and more
• Build backend services for business logic, authentication, data processing, and tenant isolation
• Design and maintain the PostgreSQL database schema, including vector embeddings for the RAG system

4. Frontend Development (with Natalia)
• Build the lawyer-facing web application (React/TypeScript) for the "Augmented Lawyer's Cockpit"
• Collaborate with Natalia (UX/UI Designer) to create intuitive, high-performance interfaces
• Ensure responsive, accessible, and lawyer-friendly user experiences

5. AI & Data Infrastructure (with Eike)
• Collaborate with Eike (AI Specialist) to integrate the RAG system and LLM workflows
• Implement data ingestion pipelines with strict tenant isolation (multi-tenancy)
• Work on prompt management and AI evaluation frameworks

6. DevOps & Infrastructure (with Jonas)
• Define cloud infrastructure strategy with Jonas (DevOps Engineer) on AWS/Azure
• Ensure EU-based, §203 StGB-compliant hosting and data residency
• Implement CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, logging, and incident response

7. Team Leadership & Coordination
• Lead and align the technical team: Eike (AI), Jonas (DevOps), Natalia (UX/UI)
• Set engineering standards, conduct code reviews, and foster a culture of excellence
• Translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders (lawyers, investors)

Co-Founder Equity & Ownership

• Significant co-founder equity stake in mAIq Tech (the VC-backed entity)
• The CTO role with full autonomy over technical decisions, architecture, and engineering culture
• Direct impact on building the operating system for a €90B industry

A Proven, High-Performing Team

• Work with a team that's already shipped production AI together: Velaro, an award-winning AI compliance platform (2+ years collaboration)
• CEO (Sascha) with unique triple expertise: Lawyer (12 years Big Law + GC) + PhD in Computer Science + MBA
• COO (Linda) with proven track record building a corporate startup from zero to scale
• AI Specialist (Eike): Production ML experience (RLHF, GPT-3, MLOps on AWS)
• DevOps Engineer (Jonas): AWS Certified Solutions Architect, scalable infrastructure expert
• UX Designer (Natalia): Master in UX Design, ensures lawyer-friendly interfaces

De-Risked Startup with Clear Path to Revenue
• Committed design partners
• 30+ interviews with market experts all confirmed our hypotheses from desk research - and we have the vision, the market access and connections to make it happen
• Deep domain expertise (12 years legal) ensures product-market fit
• Validated go-to-market strategy with industry insiders

Technical Freedom & Impact
• Define the tech stack, system architecture, and technical roadmap from day one
• Build core IP that creates a defensible moat: proprietary workflows, data flywheel, vertical integration
• Solve hard, meaningful problems:
- Automate unstructured legal workflows at scale
- Build RAG systems with strict tenant isolation (§203 StGB compliance)
- Create systems that scale from 50 to 500+ customers while maintaining quality
- Work with cutting-edge AI (RAG, LLMs, prompt engineering) in a real-world, high-stakes domain

Market Timing & Opportunity
• Perfect storm: 87% of GCs prioritize cost reduction, legal tech investment at record highs
• Massive market: €90B in Europe, €36B immediately addressable through automation
• Category-defining opportunity: first AI-native legal services platform

Culture & Flexibility
• Remote-first culture, EU-based team
• Fast decision-making, zero bureaucracy, direct collaboration with founders
• Mission-driven: fix a broken industry, improve lawyers' work-life balance, deliver transparent value to clients
• Shape the culture and values of a company from day one
• build an mostly automated, ai-first company ourselves and offer the benefits to our customers!

Building the AI operating system for legal services: automating 40% of legal work and delivering it as a managed service in a €90B market.

mAIq is building the AI operating system for legal services—an full-stack platform that automates 40%+ of legal work and delivers it as a managed service. We're not selling software to change-averse law firms; we're replacing them with a tech-enabled model that's 30% cheaper and 10x faster. Our proprietary workflows, self-learning AI core, and vertical integration create a defensible moat in a €90B market. We're building the infrastructure layer for AI-native legal services.

Challenges

Building production AI for complex, unstructured legal workflows with enterprise-grade security.

Business: Proving our managed service model, building trust with corporate clients, and scaling from design partners to 50+ paying customers in Year 1.

Talent: Recruiting top technical and legal talent.

Target group

B2B clients: Mid-market companies (€100-500M revenue) with small in-house legal teams (2-5 people) who currently spend €200-300K/year on external counsel for routine legal work (contracts, compliance, IP, labor law). Our beachhead: 10,000 German companies who need predictable costs, faster turnaround, and dedicated support. We deliver this via AI-powered managed service.

Secondary audience: Innovative lawyers who want to work with cutting-edge AI instead of being constrained by the billable hour.