Chief Technology Officer

Location: Bengaluru

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define and own the technical architecture for ION's managed WiFi platform — cloud management layer, device orchestration, telemetry stack, and APIs

• Lead hiring, structuring, and development of the entire engineering organisation (15–20 people at scale)

• Select and manage technology vendor relationships — AP manufacturers, cloud infrastructure, management platform vendors

• Own all technology decisions: cloud provider, management platform (build vs. buy), CPE standardisation, firmware management

• Drive integration between the GPoN/FII layer and the WiFi management layer

• Establish engineering processes: CI/CD, code review, release management, security standards

• Represent technology in board, investor, and enterprise client conversations

• Ensure platform reliability — define uptime SLAs, design for 99.9%+ availability, lead incident management

• Evaluate and recommend SD-WAN, WiFi 6E, and next-generation access technologies for the roadmap

• Build relationships with Ruckus, Cambium, Cisco, and emerging WiFi platform vendors

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

•

B.Tech / B.E. in Computer Science, Electronics, or Telecommunications — mandatory

• M.Tech or M.S. in Computer Networks, Wireless Communications, or Cloud Computing strongly preferred

• CCIE Wireless, CWNE (Certified Wireless Network Expert), or equivalent — a significant differentiator

• Cloud architecture certifications (AWS Solutions Architect Professional, GCP Professional Cloud Architect)

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• 15–20 years of total experience; minimum 5 years in a VP/CTO or equivalent technology leadership role

• Deep expertise in enterprise and carrier WiFi — 802.11ax (WiFi
6), 802.11be (WiFi
7), RF engineering

• Hands-on experience architecting cloud-managed networking platforms (not just using them)

• Strong background in telecom or ISP environments — GPON, OLT/ONU management, BSS/OSS systems

• Experience building and scaling distributed systems handling millions of device events daily

• Track record of making build-vs-buy decisions at platform scale

• Prior P&L or budget ownership for an engineering organisation

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

WiFi 6/6E/7 architecture               - CI/CD & Dev Ops
Cloud platform architecture         - Vendor management & negotiation
GPoN / FTTH systems                   - Security (WPA3, 802.1X, ZTNA)
Managed networking platforms   - SD-WAN architecture
Engineering team leadership        - Technology road mapping