Senior AI Architect / Fractional CTO

I’m the founder of an AI startup called Brodi, an AI career coach currently built using OpenAI, AWS, Twilio, MongoDB, Google Drive, and Systeme.io. The product already exists and is functional. It has an admin dashboard, production deployment, AI knowledge retrieval, SMS conversations, memory, and multiple integrations. I’m not looking for someone to immediately build new features. I’m looking for someone who can fully understand what has already been built, verify the architecture, communicate directly with my current developer when necessary, and become my trusted technical advisor as we scale. I’m a non-technical founder. I need someone who can bridge the gap between engineering and product strategy. ⸻ Current Tech Stack * OpenAI API * AWS EC2 * Node.js * MongoDB * Twilio SMS * Google Drive Knowledge Base * Systeme.io * PM2 * Admin Dashboard * REST APIs ⸻ Your First Responsibility Your first job is NOT writing code. Your first job is understanding the existing system. You will receive: * Full codebase * AWS access * Existing documentation * Deployment instructions * Admin dashboard access * Current architecture documents * Access to the current developer for technical discussions I expect you to independently understand how everything works before recommending any changes. ⸻ Phase 1 – Technical Audit Review the entire platform and answer questions like: * How does the AI pipeline actually work? * How does memory work? * How does knowledge retrieval work? * How are prompts assembled? * How is conversation history managed? * How does the deployment pipeline work? * What services exist? * What are the current bottlenecks? * What technical debt exists? * What security risks exist? * What scalability concerns exist? * What should remain unchanged? * What should be improved? ⸻ Phase 2 – Founder Technical Translation One of the most important parts of this role is helping me understand the system. I’m not looking for code-heavy explanations. I want someone who can explain the architecture in business terms so I can confidently make product decisions. You should be able to explain: * How Brodi processes a message * Where AI behavior is controlled * Where prompts live * Where memory lives * Where knowledge lives * What requires code changes * What can be configured without code * Where future integrations belong ⸻ Phase 3 – Architecture Roadmap Once you understand the current system, help create a roadmap toward the long-term vision. Potential future integrations include: * Airtable * CRM * Meta/Facebook * Google Drive * Systeme.io * Analytics * Multi-channel messaging * Better memory * Better AI reasoning * Improved Admin dashboard * Internal tooling I don’t need everything built immediately. I need someone who can tell me: * what already exists, * what is missing, * what order we should build things in, * and what the smartest technical decisions are moving forward. ⸻ What Success Looks Like By the end of this engagement, I should have: * A complete understanding of my system. * A documented architecture. * A clear list of strengths and weaknesses. * A prioritized roadmap. * Confidence that I truly own the technical side of my company. ⸻ Ideal Background Looking for someone with experience in: * AI SaaS products * OpenAI APIs * RAG systems * Prompt engineering * Software architecture * AWS * Node.js * MongoDB * Twilio * API integrations * Startup CTO or Lead Engineer experience Bonus if you’ve taken over existing AI projects built by other developers. ⸻ Important Please do not apply if your first recommendation is to rebuild everything from scratch. I’m looking for someone who first seeks to understand the existing system, evaluate it objectively, and work collaboratively with my current developer if needed. ⸻ To Apply Please answer these four questions: 1. Have you ever inherited an existing AI product built by another developer? What was your process for understanding it before making changes? 2. If you had 10 hours to evaluate my system, what would your plan be? 3. How would you explain a complex AI architecture to a non-technical founder? 4. What is one mistake you frequently see founders make when building AI products, and how would you help avoid it? ⸻ About Me I’m building Brodi with a long-term vision. I’m looking for someone who enjoys thinking beyond individual features and wants to help shape a scalable AI platform. If this engagement goes well, there is potential for an ongoing relationship as a trusted technical advisor or fractional CTO