Raghav HV

CTO & Principal Engineer, Platform + AI Systems at ZTAL

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

About

I’m the CTO and a hands-on Principal Engineer at Ztal, where we’re building an AI-native enterprise recruitment platform designed to improve from hiring outcomes, not just usage. My work sits across platform architecture, backend systems, infrastructure, AI workflows, and evaluation. In practice, that means I still build deeply hands-on across cloud and DevOps, product backend systems, AI orchestration, observability, and the data/eval loops needed to make AI systems reliable in production. At Ztal, we’re focused on turning complex real-world recruiting workflows into enterprise-grade software that can scale across clients, entities, and geographies. A key part of our approach is building a strong feedback loop between AI recommendations and human outcomes so the product gets smarter over time. I’ve spent my career solving hard technical problems across industries, and today I’m especially interested in building practical AI systems with real operational value. I use tools like Codex and Claude Code heavily in development, but care most about engineering judgment: shaping systems well, debugging fast, and building products that work in the real world. Areas I work in most often: platform architecture, backend systems, AI systems, infra/DevOps, evaluation design, enterprise workflows, and product engineering.

Experience

  • CTO & Principal Engineer, Platform + AI Systems at ZTAL at Ztal
    Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr 1 mo

    Leading technology and still building hands-on across platform, backend systems, infrastructure, AI workflows, and evaluation at Ztal. Current areas of ownership: - platform architecture for a multi-tenant enterprise recruitment product - backend systems for recruiter workflows, candidate operations, and AI-assisted processes - cloud infrastructure, deployment, observability, and reliability - AI systems design across LLM workflows, orchestration, and traceability - evaluation and calibration systems that connect AI outputs to human outcomes - technical strategy for scaling across enterprise clients, geographies, and entities I work closely with product, delivery, and business stakeholders to turn customer workflow complexity into reliable software systems and long-term product intelligence.

  • Music Producer at A Little Less Noise
    Jan 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos

  • Senior Android Engineer at Scotiabank
    Aug 2018 - Jan 2025 · 6 yrs 6 mos

    Led the architecture and development of Scotiabank's mobile apps, driving the implementation of key features such as Campaigns and Offers, Transfers, Bill Payments, E-Transfer, 2FA, Account Summary, Transaction Search, Onboarding, TransUnion Integration, PDF Statements, Void Cheques, International Money Movement, Western Union, Scotia Online Integration, Dark Mode Support, Medallia Integration, and Smart Money. This initiative significantly enhanced user experience and operational efficiency. Conducted peer reviews to uphold code quality, spearheaded feature development from concept to deployment with a focus on user-centric design, and implemented rigorous UI and unit testing, including scripting for test data automation.

  • Entrepreneur and Software Developer at HaVenSoft Inc.
    May 2023 - Apr 2024 · 1 yr

    Spearheaded the development of a Python-based trading application, and an accompanying Android client, aimed at automating trade strategies and analysis. Pioneered the integration of financial data feeds and the implementation of complex trading algorithms to enhance trading efficiency and accuracy.

  • Android/iOS Engineer at Barclays Bank Plc / Financial Consultant
    Oct 2017 - Apr 2018 · 7 mos

    Led a team in developing the proactive credit limit increase (PCLI) feature, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction. Oversaw project timeline planning and ticket creation in JIRA, ensuring efficient workflow and task allocation, while authoring comprehensive documentation in Confluence for clear guideline communication.