Chief Technology Officer or Chief Product & Technology Officer (Arlington)

Job Description

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) or Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) - Atlas Obscura

About Us

Atlas Obscura is a community platform for travelers exploring the world's hidden wonders. Our channels include a website, mobile app, books, and podcasts, celebrating curious places, extraordinary experiences, and passionate communities. We combine high-quality editorial content with public submissions to create a unique platform that features planning tools, memory sharing, and real-time travel tools.

Position Overview

We seek an experienced CTO to lead our technical strategy and execution. As a key executive, you'll help shape our vision to create the world's best travel community appdemocratizing content creation through AI integration and featuring travel insights from global thought leaders. Your focus will be on innovation in mapping, community features, advertising tech, and AI-powered content tools, ensuring scalability, security, and performance.

You will join the leadership team of Atlas Obscuras new CEO, focusing on transforming Atlas Obscura into a vibrant community travel platform with a diverse user base sharing travel tips and experiences. Your role will involve internal technological changes and potentially a complete product rebuild leveraging our strong brand, 2.5 million users, and advertising business to thrive in an AI-driven environment.

Depending on experience and interest, this role may also encompass product responsibilities, including platform engagement, audience growth, feature prioritization, and commercialization. We are open to elaborating on this aspect during the hiring process.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technology strategy, architecture, and roadmap for digital platforms
• Collaborate with leadership to shape the travel storytelling app
• Design AI-powered tools for democratized content creation
• Develop monetization strategies, including e-commerce and subscriptions
• Create tiered experiences to convert free users into paying subscribers
• Oversee engineering teams, fostering innovation and quality
• Enhance mapping capabilities for immersive experiences
• Implement systems for user-submitted content and data analysis
• Advance advertising technologies and new ad products
• Personalize user experiences based on engagement patterns
• Strategically integrate AI technologies
• Optimize backend infrastructure for scale
• Collaborate across teams for cohesive user experiences
• Stay updated on emerging tech trends
• Manage budgets, vendors, and partnerships

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years in technology leadership, with 5+ in senior roles
• Proven experience with consumer products featuring mapping/geolocation
• Experience in mobile app development and scaling
• Background in monetization strategies and community platforms
• Knowledge of modern tech stacks and cloud infrastructure
• Experience implementing AI solutions for workflows and user features
• Ability to use AI tools to enhance work quality and volume
• Understanding of AI in reading and publishing stacks
• Vision for democratizing storytelling via AI
• Leadership in engineering growth and product evolution
• Experience managing large-scale user-generated content systems
• Deep knowledge of personalization and recommendation systems
• Excellent communication skills for technical translation
• Passion for travel storytelling and user empowerment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with travel or location-based content platforms
• Expertise in machine learning for content classification and recommendations
• Knowledge of geospatial data visualization
• History with high-volume user content platforms
• Understanding of editorial workflows and CMS
• Successful integration of editorial and community content
• Location in or ability to travel to New York City

What We Offer

• Shape the technical foundation of a beloved brand
• Growth potential in a small, revenue-positive company
• Work with a passionate team celebrating hidden wonders
• Flexible work arrangements and travel opportunities
• Culture valuing curiosity, creativity, and exploration
• Salary: $200,000 - $300,000 + bonus and equity

Atlas Obscura values diversity and encourages applications from all backgrounds. To apply, submit your resume and cover letter outlining your vision for leveraging technology to make us the top travel app in the world.