Head of Engineering (AI-First Platform & Infrastructure)

Help us build the platform behind 3cat's next stage of growth.

3cat is on a mission to make secondhand tech the first choice.

We're one of Malaysia's fastest-growing circular-tech companies, building an omnichannel platform for pre-owned smartphones and electronics. Today we operate 22 stores, with plans to grow beyond 50 stores across the region, including our expansion into the Philippines.

We're backed by leading international and strategic investors including AEON (Japan), Iterative VC, Golden Gate Ventures, Foxmont Capital, TheVentures and XOX Mobile.

As we enter our next stage of growth, we're looking for a Head of Engineering to help us build the technology that can take us there.

The Role

This isn't a role where you'll inherit a finished platform and simply keep things running.

You'll help build it.

The role combines technical ownership with business leadership, with responsibility for the architecture and engineering roadmap supporting our next phase of growth, including our expansion into the Philippines.

The decisions you make now will determine how fast, how far, and how reliably we get there.

Working directly with our CEO, founders and leadership team, you'll lead engineering decisions and connect technology with business strategy in a fast-paced environment.

You'll take ownership of:

• Engineering Execution: Drive fast, reliable shipping without compromising security or quality.

• AI-First Development: Embed AI agents, LLMs and automated tools into the full software development lifecycle.

• Infrastructure & Reliability: Own our cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, security and reliability as we scale.

• Systems Integration: Seamlessly connect inventory, retail POS, e-commerce and finance systems.

• Team Leadership: Recruit, mentor and lead a lean, high-performing engineering team.

• Hands-on Leadership: Provide technical guidance, solve complex problems, and contribute directly to architecture and code.

In your first year, two priorities will matter most:

1. Speed & Efficiency through AI: Embed AI agents and modern tooling into the workflow to measurably improve shipping speed and software quality.
2. Scalable and Unified Systems: Evolve our platform architecture and cloud infrastructure to reliably support rapid expansion across new markets and stores, while seamlessly integrating our inventory, e-commerce, and financial data systems.

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for a builder, not just a manager.

Platform Scale. A proven track record of architecting and scaling complex, high-growth platforms is what matters most. We care about the systems you've built, the teams you've led, and the technical bets you've made that paid off, not the years on your CV.

Cloud & AI Development. Deep hands-on experience with AWS, GCP or Azure is likely, along with experience using AI in real production workflows.

But above all, we're looking for someone who brings:

• Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-moving, high-growth environment, and isn't afraid to tackle problems they haven't encountered before.
• Lean Management: Brings structure to ambiguity without creating bureaucracy, and leads a lean team without heavy administrative overhead.
• Hands-on Technical Leadership: Sets technical direction and shapes architecture at the highest level, not just signs off on it.
• Business-First Engineering: Is commercially minded, comfortable working directly with senior leadership, and passionate about solving technical challenges that directly move the business forward.

If you've taken on increasingly complex challenges and delivered results, we'd like to hear from you, even if you don't tick every box.

Why 3cat

Build, don't maintain. You'll have genuine ownership over how our technology evolves as we scale.

Join at an inflection point. We're recently funded, expanding rapidly and entering new markets.

Work directly with the founders. This is a highly visible leadership role with the ability to shape how the company scales.

Make an impact. You'll build the technology behind a significant regional business, while helping make secondhand tech a mainstream, more sustainable choice.

If you want to build platforms, solve hard problems and help shape a company during one of the most exciting stages of its growth, we'd love to meet you.

Come build the next chapter of 3cat with us.