1. For the tech role, do investors want the articulate, personable, senior-level CTO-type or do they want the psycho hacker type as long as the other founders have substantial resumes?
2. What should be the title for this position? I'm using Head of Development for now but not sure this is right.
3. Where should I post the job or ask for referrals? Dice? StartupHire.com? Others?
4. For the prototype we have three modules being built: 1) Front-end banner serving in java, 2) payment module using PayPal's api, 3)client dashboard using C# and .net. We are not developing a mobile app at this point so is someone with Ruby or other mobile platforms even necessary? My developers are coding in java, C# and .net because that's what they know. I realize this is a mobile commerce business but I don't think I need someone with mobile experience until I build the app. Is that correct?
5. Would you please provide feedback on this job description? Is it too general? Asking too much?
We are a seed stage startup in the mobile commerce space. We make it easy for customers to make purchases from their mobile devices.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
We are seeking a top-notch Head of Development who will provide technical leadership in product development, architect and execute the technology roadmap of our mobile commerce solution, establish and maintain core development processes, and recruit top-notch developers. In this founding role, you will:
* Assess and recommend technologies/platforms, and lead architecture efforts * Build and grow a strong technical team * Project management: You'll help to scope projects and milestones into appropriate amounts of work, in aggressive but reasonable timeframes, and drive your team towards successful delivery * Roll up your sleeves and do some coding. This is a startup, baby.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
The right candidate will have a passion for mobile technology. We are looking for someone who is comfortable building teams from scratch and scaling the organization with rapid growth. We'd like to see:
* 5-10 years experience building and managing small high-performing agile teams * Ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment * Strong aptitude for determining the optimal way to use cutting-edge technology in our marketplace * Build and manage a high-performing development team and oversee development & project management * Experience in the consumer ad/banner serving * Strong business and technical vision * Enthusiasm for working in a high-profile, fast-paced startup * Experience with ecommerce payments * Experience with Paypal, Google Checkout, and/or Amazon Payments APIs * Someone who is flexible and has a good sense of humor. Having a plan is fine but you know that for every contingency we’ve planned for, there will be 100 challenges we haven’t. You’ll need to adapt quickly with a positive attitude and proposed solution. * You are a problem-solver who is solution oriented. We know it “can” be done. We just have to figure out how long it will take and how much it will cost.
NICE TO HAVE: * Any mobile commerce experience at all
FULL DISCLOSURE: * This is a founding role so there’s no salary until year two. You’ll get a healty share of equity and the opportunity to build a solution that doesn’t currently exist.
To any and all that choose to respond to this post, I am very grateful.