Technology is fuelling new threats to children. Help us turn it into protection: we’re hiring a Chief Technology & Product Officer

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is seeking a Chief Technology & Product Officer (CTPO) who will lead our product, software development and technology functions, and help shape how technology can be used to detect, disrupt and prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material online.

For more than 30 years, the IWF has worked to find and remove images and videos of child sexual abuse from the internet, while giving the public a safe and anonymous place to report them. In 2025 alone, our analysts actioned 311,610 reports confirmed to contain or lead to child sexual abuse material. Our reporting portals now cover 54 countries, and more than 220 companies use our technology services to find and block criminal content at scale.

Technology has always been central to what we do, but the threat is changing fast. The growth of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery, alongside new payment, encryption and platform technologies, is creating new challenges for everyone working to protect children online.

We work closely with some of the world’s leading technology companies, and our role is to bring something they can’t: the expertise of our analysts in locating and assessing child sexual abuse material. Our new CTPO will help us make the most of those partnerships, so that platforms across the global ecosystem can better identify and prevent this content wherever it appears.

Why now

We’re creating this role at an important point in our development. Technology is fundamental to everything we do, and we have a real opportunity to build on our expertise and strengthen the tools, systems and services that help us make a difference.

Bringing product thinking and technical capability together means the decisions we make about what we build, adopt, invest in and develop with partners will stay closely aligned with our mission.

This also comes alongside our new three-year organisational strategy, which starts in early 2027 and puts technological innovation, AI and an investment in robust data infrastructure at its centre.

Who we’re looking for

We want someone who can bring together strong product and technology leadership, with the judgement to make good decisions about where we invest our time and resources. This isn’t innovation for its own sake. It’s about understanding the challenges our analysts face, listening to our Members and partners, and working out where technology can have the greatest effect.

Our CTPO will lead a team of around 15 people across software development and IT infrastructure, reporting directly to me and joining our Executive Leadership Team. They’ll work closely with our Hotline, our Members, global technology companies, law enforcement and regulators to develop solutions that respond to emerging threats and strengthen the wider online safety ecosystem.

We’re looking for an experienced product and technology leader with a strong technical grounding, the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and the confidence to influence at Board level. Experience in online safety or child protection is welcome, but it isn’t essential. Above all, we want someone with sound judgement, curiosity and a genuine commitment to our mission.

It’s a demanding role. But for the right person, it’s a chance to do genuinely meaningful work: to help shape our technology strategy, develop our capabilities and turn the expertise of our people into protection for children on a much greater scale.

If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear from you.

Find out more about the Chief Technology & Product Officer role and how to apply here.