CTO - Paris - Theodo Data & AI

About the role

You will own the end-to-end technical vision and commercial credibility of Theodo Data & AI practice, defining the long-term technology strategy while ensuring it remains aligned with client business outcomes. You will evangelize data and AI best practices across the entire organization, translating complex technical concepts into compelling narratives for both clients and internal teams. You will build and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team that delivers cutting-edge solutions in data platforms and generative AI. You will act as the primary technical advisor during the sales cycle, de-risking complex proposals and enabling trusted conversations with executive stakeholders. You will foster a culture of continuous learning, ensuring that insights from each engagement are captured and leveraged to strengthen our collective expertise. You will position Theodo as a category-defining leader where data strategy and generative AI innovation converge. You will ensure all solutions adhere to strict quality, governance, and ethical standards.

Key facts

What you'll do

Architect and define the technical roadmap for Theodo Data & AI, ensuring alignment with market trends and client strategic ambitions across data platforms and generative AI.

Champion the practice's vision externally by articulating a clear, credible, and differentiated point of view to clients, investors, and the broader tech community.

Lead the discovery and solution design phase for strategic deals, translating ambiguous business problems into robust, scalable technical architectures.

Define and enforce the technical standards, playbooks, and guardrails that enable consistent, high-quality delivery across data engineering, data science, and AI engineering.

Evaluate, benchmark, and recommend data and AI technologies, balancing innovation with operational maturity and long-term maintainability.

Forge deep expertise in modern data architectures, including data mesh, lakehouse, and governance models, while mastering AI paradigms such as RAG, agents, and fine-tuning.

Partner with Sales leadership to build and maintain a robust pipeline, forecasting demand and identifying barriers to deal progression.

Recruit, mentor, and grow a world-class team of data engineers, data scientists, and AI engineers, fostering an environment of ownership and excellence.

Develop reusable assets, accelerators, and intellectual property that accelerate delivery and elevate the capabilities of the entire practice.

Represent Theodo at industry events, conferences, and community gatherings, strengthening the brand and attracting top-tier talent.

Collaborate closely with product and delivery leads to codify lessons learned into training materials and internal documentation.

Analyze competitive landscapes and market signals to continuously refine the practice's value proposition and positioning.

Champion the adoption of Lean Tech® principles, ensuring that technology decisions prioritize business impact and client value.

Serve as the ultimate escalation path for complex technical challenges, restoring confidence and trust with senior client stakeholders.

Requirements

You possess a deep and broad technical expertise, with mastery over both data and AI architecture spanning several years of professional experience.

You have a proven track record of designing and implementing data platforms based on modern paradigms such as data mesh and lakehouse architectures.

You demonstrate advanced knowledge of AI and machine learning architectures, including Large Language Models, RAG patterns, and agentic system design.

You hold a strong understanding of MLOps principles, including model lifecycle management, monitoring, and deployment automation in production environments.

You have a history of influencing and leading technical teams, guiding decision-making through technical excellence and clear communication.

You show an unwavering commitment to quality, governance, and security, ensuring that solutions are robust, scalable, and maintainable.

You bring a strong business acumen, capable of linking technical capabilities to concrete business value, job-to-be-done needs, and measurable ROI.

You are comfortable operating in ambiguity, making timely decisions with incomplete information while balancing risk and opportunity.

Nice to have

Experience engaging with C-level stakeholders, including CTOs, CDOs, and DSI leaders in enterprise environments.

A track record of building and scaling high-performance technical teams in fast-growth or consulting settings.

Practical notes

This position is based in Paris, France, and operates on a full-time basis.

Travel requirements are not specified in this listing.

Applications must meet the stated eligibility criteria without exception.