Head of Technology (Deputy to CTO)

We are seeking a hands‑on, cloud‑native technology leader to support the CTO in transforming legacy systems into a modular, secure, and efficient cloud architecture—favouring a modular monolith over microservices for team efficiency.

This role combines deep AWS expertise, Java / Kotlin + Spring Boot architecture, and DevOps governance to bring discipline to production rollout, data patching controls, and performance (especially RDS MySQL tuning).

The Head of Technology serves as the technical right‑hand of the CTO, empowered to lead modernisation and enforce best practices in deployment, reliability, and cost / security governance. Through this modernisation journey, the company will achieve faster release cycles — enabling multiple safe deployments per day or week, with minimal breaking changes and simple rollback capability for operational confidence.

The CTO retains final decision rights, while this role provides hands‑on leadership, technical excellence, and execution continuity across all IT initiatives.

Role Focus Mix (Guideline)

AWS & Infra Modernisation : 40% (own AWS, manage SysAdmins, enforce governance)

Architecture (Modular Monolith) & Coding : 25% (Spring Boot / Kotlin, performance)

Coordination & Deputy Support : 10% (cross‑lead alignment, exec comms)

Note : This is an all‑rounder role for someone comfortable at designing architecture, coding, setup / tuning AWS infrastructure, and leading discussions with Project leads, Tech Leads, or QA leads. The ideal candidate knows when to switch camps — from hands‑on execution to leadership — depending on the organisation’s priorities.

About the job

Reports to : Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Supervises : IT Division Leads and Project Leads (as delegated)

IT Department Size : ~50

Architect and operate AWS environments (EC2, ECS / Fargate, RDS / Aurora, Lambda, CloudFront, Route 53, VPC / IAM) using AWS CDK (TypeScript).

Tune RDS MySQL (parameter groups, buffer pool sizing, I / O capacity, slow query analysis, schema / index review) and other related services in AWS.

Establish secure, cost‑efficient infrastructure and mentor SysAdmins to manage AWS confidently.

Define standards for backup, failover, observability (CloudWatch / Grafana / Prometheus), and performance tuning.

Prefer EC2 / Docker + ECS / Fargate; avoid Kubernetes unless justified.

CI / CD, Production Rollout & Data Patching Governance

Design and enforce enterprise‑grade CI / CD (GitHub Actions) for predictable, auditable releases.

Implement Privileged Access Management (PAM) or equivalent mechanism to ensure secure, auditable, and traceable operations, approval gates, and role‑based deploy rights.

Standardise production deployment & data patching (versioning, windows, rollback, audit trails).

Use n8n (or similar tools) + AI (OpenAI / Claude / Gemini) to automate release checks, change tickets, and guardrails.

Continuously improve deployment safety, environment consistency, and MTTR.

Software Architecture & Modernisation (Modular Monolith First)

Evolve legacy Java systems into a modular monolith (well‑defined domain modules, clear boundaries, internal APIs), using Spring Boot / Kotlin.

Establish module guidelines (domain / package structure, contracts, testing strategy, feature toggles) to keep change velocity high with a small team.

Containerise apps (Docker) and run on ECS / Fargate; adopt CDK‑managed infra and 12‑factor app practices.

Enforce code quality, performance profiling, and secure configuration patterns.

IT Division Oversight & Coordination

Coordinate with Project Leads, Tech Leads, QA Leads, and Design Leads to ensure readiness, documentation, and consistent standards.

Oversee cloud / on‑prem governance, SLA compliance, and risk / incident handling.

Act for the CTO during absences (chair meetings with internal and business units / clients, approve deliverables, manage urgent production issues).

Review / endorse technical or vendor documents when delegated.

Strategic & Executive Communication

Present modernisation plans, cost analyses, and roadmaps to owners / investors.

Translate technical progress into business impact and ROI; advise on investments and risk management.

Skills & Experience Required

Technical Expertise

Deep AWS : EC2, ECS / Fargate, RDS / Aurora, Lambda, CloudFront, Route 53, VPC, IAM, CloudWatch and other services.

Demonstrable RDS MySQL performance tuning (parameters, schema / indexes, slow queries, connection pools).

Strong hands‑on Java or Kotlin with Spring Boot; capable of shaping a modular monolith architecture.

Infrastructure‑as‑Code experience (CDK / TypeScript).

Experienced in designing and building secure system architectures using AWS Secrets Manager, KMS, and database encryption — including data at rest, data in transit, and column‑level encryption or anonymisation for sensitive data protection.

Proven CI / CD and secure deployment governance (gated releases, approvals, rollbacks, auditability).

Practical use of n8n (or similar tools) + AI to automate DevOps / IT workflows.

Monitoring / observability familiarity (CloudWatch, Grafana / Prometheus, tracing).

Leadership & Strategic Skills

Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor multi‑disciplinary IT teams (10+ members), fostering technical growth, accountability, and delivery excellence.

Leads by example through strong technical execution while guiding teams toward cloud‑native best practices.

Mentors engineers and SysAdmins to raise the team’s AWS maturity — including hands‑on training in AWS services (EC2, ECS / Fargate, RDS, VPC, IAM, CloudWatch), performance tuning, cost optimisation, and security‑by‑design practices (Secrets Manager, KMS, encryption standards).

Makes sound architectural and operational decisions aligned with CTO's direction.

Communicates effectively with stakeholders at all levels, translating complex technical topics into clear business insights.

Promotes a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and operational excellence across IT divisions.

Experience dealing with company setups, corporate lawyers, and legal agreements, including coordinating technology‑related contracts and ensuring alignment with company compliance policies.

Preferred Background

8–12 years across software engineering, AWS, and DevOps.

Ideal for a Principal Engineer, Head of Technology, Cloud Architect, or ex‑CTO from a smaller organisation who thrives in both hands‑on and strategic capacities, and is comfortable presenting to company owners or investors on IT strategy, cost optimisation, and risk management.

Hands‑on modernisation of legacy Java stacks to Docker + ECS / Fargate with a modular monolith approach.

Experience in multi‑subsidiary or enterprise contexts and infrastructure security.

We offer attractive salaries and year‑end bonuses, medical insurance, outpatient coverage for your spouse and children, dental, optical, flexi benefits, phone allowance, parking / transportation allowance, a fun and supportive environment, fruit juice and small meals to keep you energised. The company believes in open & honest communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

How to apply

Our team comprises passionate, forward‑thinking professionals who thrive on challenges and are dedicated to making a tangible impact. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and every voice is heard. For immediate consideration, kindly apply online.

Application questions

• Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Malaysia?
• What is your expected monthly basic salary?
• How much notice are you required to give your current employer?

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