Overview
The Fractional CTO will serve as a strategic technology and product leader, guiding the organization through critical phases of growth, modernization, and operational scaling. This executive brings a unique blend of technical depth, product vision, and operational discipline, ensuring the company’s technology roadmap, product strategy, and cross‑functional execution are tightly aligned with business goals.
This role is ideal for a seasoned technology leader who excels in fast‑moving environments, can quickly diagnose organizational gaps, and can implement pragmatic, high‑impact solutions without the overhead of a full‑time executive. The Fractional CTO will partner closely with the CEO, operations leadership, product teams, and external vendors to accelerate delivery, strengthen technical foundations, and drive measurable outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
1. Technology Strategy & Architecture
- Define and maintain the technology roadmap aligned with business priorities and product strategy.
- Assess current systems, architecture, and technical debt; implement a modernization plan that balances speed and stability.
- Establish scalable engineering practices, development standards, and technical governance.
- Evaluate and manage external vendors, platforms, and tools to ensure cost‑effective, high‑quality delivery.
2. Product Leadership & Execution
- Partner with product leadership to shape product vision, roadmap, and feature prioritization.
- Translate business needs into clear technical requirements and execution plans.
- Ensure product development cycles are predictable, efficient, and aligned with customer and operational needs.
- Support rapid prototyping, experimentation, and iteration to accelerate product innovation.
3. Operational Excellence & Cross‑Functional Alignment
- Strengthen the connection between technology, product, operations, and business teams.
- Implement processes that improve delivery velocity, quality, and cross‑team communication.
- Introduce operational frameworks that support scale — including workflow automation, system integrations, and data visibility.
- Diagnose operational bottlenecks and deploy technology‑enabled solutions that improve performance and reduce friction.
4. Team Leadership & Capability Building
- Provide leadership and mentorship to engineering, product, and technical operations teams.
- Assess team structure, skill gaps, and performance; recommend hiring, upskilling, or restructuring as needed.
- Establish a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
- Support the recruitment and evaluation of future full‑time technical leadership if needed.
5. Execution, Delivery & Measurable Impact
- Drive high‑impact initiatives that require senior technical oversight and rapid execution.
- Ensure technology investments align with ROI expectations and operational realities.
- Deliver clear reporting on progress, risks, and outcomes to executive leadership.
- Provide hands‑on support when necessary to accelerate delivery or unblock critical initiatives.
Qualifications
- 12–20+ years of progressive experience in technology leadership, including CTO, VP Engineering, or Head of Product/Tech roles.
- Strong background in product development, software architecture, and operational systems.
- Proven ability to scale technology and product functions in high‑growth or transformation environments.
- Experience aligning engineering, product, and operations to drive measurable business outcomes.
- Ability to operate in a fractional or consulting capacity with high autonomy and rapid execution.
- Exceptional communication, executive presence, and ability to influence across technical and non‑technical teams.
