CTO / Lead Systems Architect – IoT, Edge AI, LoRaWAN Infrastructure (AgTech Platform) - Contract to Hire

We are building a next-generation agricultural intelligence platform and are looking for a senior technical architect / CTO-level engineer to help lead the engineering side of the company. Ori Cattle is developing a LoRaWAN-based livestock monitoring system with edge AI, combining custom hardware, firmware, private LPWAN infrastructure, and cloud analytics. This is not a small freelance task. We are looking for someone who can own the technical architecture and coordinate engineering development as we move from pilot deployment to scaled infrastructure. Current stack includes: • Custom LoRaWAN ear tag hardware • STM32 / Wio-E5 firmware • Private LoRaWAN network server (Orbiwise) • Kerlink gateways for rural coverage • Google Cloud backend • Edge AI behavioral analysis models • Real-time anomaly detection pipelines We already have engineers working on specific components (firmware, AI models, mechanical design). The role is to oversee the full system architecture and coordinate development. This is a long-term role with potential transition into a permanent technical leadership position. Responsibilities Lead architecture across the entire IoT stack: Device → Gateway → LoRaWAN Network → Cloud → AI Work with embedded engineers on: • LoRaWAN firmware • device power optimization • OTA update strategy • sensor integration Design and oversee: • Private LoRaWAN infrastructure • device provisioning • secure key management • device onboarding Work with data engineers on: • sensor ingestion pipelines • anomaly detection systems • behavioral modeling Define infrastructure for: • scaling to thousands of devices • multi-ranch deployments • future rural infrastructure expansion Coordinate engineering work across: • firmware engineers • AI/ML engineers • hardware designers • backend developers Current Development Status Hardware architecture complete Firmware LoRaWAN stack implemented PCB design and manufacturing files completed Private LNS (Orbiwise) selected AI anomaly detection pipeline under development We are currently preparing pilot deployments across ranches in North America. Ideal Candidate 10+ years experience in IoT or embedded systems Strong background in: • LoRaWAN architecture • LPWAN infrastructure • IoT device lifecycle management • distributed systems • edge computing Experience with: • STM32 firmware • MQTT / telemetry pipelines • Google Cloud / AWS • device provisioning at scale Experience designing production IoT deployments with thousands of devices is highly preferred. Skills (Up to 10 for Upwork) IoT Architecture LoRaWAN Embedded Systems STM32 Edge Computing Google Cloud Platform MQTT Firmware Development Machine Learning Infrastructure Distributed Systems Engagement Long term project 30-40 hours per week Potential for ongoing leadership role as the platform scales. About the Company Ori AI Technologies is building an integrated platform combining: • livestock monitoring • behavioral AI • rural infrastructure networks • edge intelligence Our goal is to deploy one of the largest privately managed rural IoT networks in North America. James Babcock Founder/CEO Ori AI Technologies