On Arrival | Plan The Perfect Trip
Website:
onarrival.com
Job details:
OnArrival | Bengaluru | Full-time | Work directly with the CTO & Co-founder
About OnArrival
At OnArrival, we’re building the technology infrastructure that powers the next generation of travel experiences.
Our platform enables fintechs, banks, consumer brands, and digital businesses to seamlessly embed travel into their products through APIs, SDKs, and intelligent infrastructure.
We’re building towards a future where travel is embedded everywhere, increasingly autonomous, and powered by AI.
About the Role
We’re looking for an exceptionally resourceful, technically strong, and hands-on individual to join our Founder’s Office – Engineering.
Think of this role as being the CTO’s technical right hand.
You’ll work closely with the CTO across engineering initiatives, new product ideas, architecture, AI experimentation, internal tooling, and strategic technical projects.
You’ll also act as a trusted liaison between the CTO and engineering teams, product stakeholders, technology partners, and external collaborators.
But here’s the important part: This is a hands-on engineering role, not a project management or coordination role.
We want someone who can write code, build prototypes, investigate problems, understand complex systems, challenge technical decisions, and independently take projects from an idea to a working solution.
One day you could be building an AI agent. The next, exploring a new backend architecture, debugging an integration, or representing the CTO in a technical discussion.
You’ll be involved in both the thinking and the doing.
What You’ll Do
1. Build, Code & Experiment
* Write production-quality code and build working prototypes.
* Personally own and deliver engineering projects from concept to deployment.
* Build internal tools, developer utilities, automations, and AI-powered workflows.
* Experiment with LLMs, AI agents, orchestration frameworks, and emerging technologies.
* Work across APIs, backend systems, integrations, SDKs, and occasionally frontend applications.
* Debug complex technical problems, investigate issues, and propose practical solutions.
* Use modern AI coding tools to accelerate development and experimentation.
2. Work Directly with the CTO
* Be deeply involved in the CTO’s ongoing technical initiatives and special projects.
* Translate early-stage ideas and loosely defined problems into working solutions.
* Participate in architecture discussions, design reviews, and technical decision-making.
* Research new tools, frameworks, and technologies, and make informed recommendations.
* Understand the broader engineering vision and help translate it into tangible outcomes.
* Take ownership of initiatives without requiring constant direction or follow-ups.
3. Act as a Technical Liaison
* Represent the CTO in selected engineering discussions, technical reviews, and partner conversations.
* Work closely with engineering leads, product teams, and external stakeholders.
* Bridge communication between the CTO and various engineering initiatives.
* Understand technical blockers, dependencies, and implementation challenges.
* Ensure important technical decisions translate into actual engineering progress.
* Coordinate execution when needed, while remaining actively involved in the technical work.
4. Drive Special Engineering Projects
* Take on experimental or high-impact initiatives that don’t naturally belong to an existing engineering team.
* Build proof-of-concepts to validate new product ideas and technical approaches.
* Explore platform improvements, architectural changes, performance optimization, and developer productivity.
* Collaborate with different engineering pods to move initiatives forward.
* Help evaluate build-versus-buy decisions and third-party technologies.
* Take promising prototypes through technical validation and handover or production deployment.
5. Explore What’s Next
* Stay ahead of developments in AI engineering, developer platforms, cloud infrastructure, and software architecture.
* Experiment with emerging technologies before they become mainstream.
* Identify opportunities to simplify systems, automate work, and improve engineering velocity.
* Bring fresh ideas to the CTO, backed by actual experimentation rather than presentations alone.
* Help shape how OnArrival uses AI internally and builds AI-native travel experiences.
What We’re Looking For
Technical Skills
* 3–5 years of hands-on software engineering experience.
* Strong programming ability in at least one modern backend or full-stack language, such as Kotlin, Java, TypeScript, Python, or Go.
* Solid understanding of APIs, distributed systems, databases, and modern backend architectures.
* Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
* Comfortable with Git, CI/CD, debugging, deployment, and engineering workflows.
* Familiarity with LLMs, AI development tools, and modern AI-assisted software engineering.
* Ability to independently build, test, deploy, and demonstrate working solutions.
* Broad technical curiosity and the ability to learn unfamiliar stacks quickly.
Beyond Engineering
* Exceptional ownership: You don’t wait to be told every step. You figure things out and get them done.
* Strong communication: You can explain complex technical ideas clearly to engineers, business stakeholders, and external partners.
* High agency: You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, identifying opportunities, and making progress independently.
* Structured thinking: You can break complex, loosely defined problems into manageable solutions.
* Confidence: You’re comfortable challenging assumptions, asking difficult questions, and engaging with senior technical stakeholders.
* Resourcefulness: You know when to build, when to automate, when to use AI, and when an existing tool is sufficient.
* Discretion and reliability: You can be trusted with sensitive technical discussions, strategic initiatives, and responsibilities.
Bonus Points If You
* Have worked in an early-stage or rapidly scaling technology startup.
* Have been a founding engineer or independently built and launched products.
* Have experience with AI agents, MCP, developer tooling, or LLM-powered applications.
* Understand travel technology, fintech, APIs, or embedded platforms.
* Have worked closely with founders, CTOs, or senior engineering leaders.
* Enjoy hackathons, side projects, open-source contributions, and experimentation.
* Are comfortable interacting with partners, vendors, and developer communities.
What Success Looks Like
Within your first 3–6 months, we expect you to:
* Independently ship meaningful engineering projects and working prototypes.
* Develop a strong understanding of OnArrival’s technology stack and engineering priorities.
* Become a trusted technical extension of the CTO.
* Take ownership of special projects with minimal supervision.
* Build strong working relationships with engineering leads and product teams.
* Help accelerate technical decisions, experimentation, and execution.
* Free up the CTO’s bandwidth without introducing unnecessary coordination overhead.
What This Role Is Not
* Not an executive assistant.
* Not a traditional project manager or scrum master.
* Not a role focused primarily on tracking tasks, preparing reports, or scheduling meetings.
* Not a strategy-only position where engineering is delegated to other teams.
* Not a role where you’ll spend all your time in meetings.
You’ll be expected to write code, solve technical problems, and ship actual software.
Why Join?
* Direct founder exposure: Work alongside the CTO on some of the company’s most important technology initiatives.
* Real engineering ownership: Build, experiment, architect, and ship without unnecessary layers.
* Technical breadth: Work across AI, APIs, SDKs, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and developer platforms.
* Freedom to experiment: Explore new technologies and turn ideas into working products.
* High-impact work: Your contributions can directly influence OnArrival’s architecture, engineering productivity, and future products.
* Accelerated growth: Develop the technical, product, and leadership judgment required to become an exceptional engineering leader.
The Kind of Person Who Will Thrive Here
- You’re probably the person who builds things over the weekend because you’re curious.
- You enjoy coding, but you’re equally interested in understanding why something should be built.
- You can jump from a technical architecture discussion to writing an API, then explain the solution to a stakeholder without losing context.
- You don’t need perfectly written requirements to get started. You ask the right questions, make sensible assumptions, and build something.
- You like being close to decisions, taking responsibility, and making things happen.
If you’re someone who loves engineering, enjoys working with founders, and wants to be involved in building what’s next, this role is for you.
Join us in building the infrastructure for the future of travel.
Click on Apply to know more.
