Fractional CTO
Senior technical leadership, part-time
A part-time CTO who sets architecture, vets vendors and hires, owns the roadmap, reviews code, and reports to you every month, without the full-time executive salary.
By Eliran YihyeUpdated
Month-to-month
How we engage
| Timeline | Month-to-month |
|---|---|
| Light | Roughly 1 day/week: architecture, vendor and hire vetting, roadmap, code review, monthly executive report. |
| Standard | 2–3 days/week: hands-on technical lead, team management, everything in Light. |
| Scoping | We scope and quote after a discovery call, with scope and terms in writing before any code exists. |
| Handover | Code, repositories and accounts transfer to you. |
Month-to-month, 30-day notice.
How is a fractional CTO engagement structured?
Engagements come in two tiers. Light is roughly one day a week of architecture direction, vendor and hire vetting, roadmap, code review and a monthly executive report. Standard is 2–3 days a week and adds a hands-on technical lead and team management. We agree the tier and terms in writing after a discovery call.
What does a fractional CTO actually do?
A fractional CTO sets architecture and technical strategy, vets vendors and hires, owns the roadmap, reviews code, and delivers a monthly executive report on what shipped, what changed and what is next. Standard adds a hands-on technical lead role and team management on top of everything in Light.
Is a fractional CTO a long-term contract?
No. The engagement is month-to-month, and either side can end it with 30 days' notice. There is no annual contract. Light is roughly one day a week and Standard is 2–3 days a week, and you can change tier by agreement. We write the tier and terms down before the first month starts.
Should I pick the Light or the Standard tier?
Light, roughly one day a week, fits a team that needs architecture direction, vendor and hire vetting, a roadmap, code review and a monthly executive report. Standard, at 2–3 days a week, adds a hands-on technical lead and team management. You agree the tier in writing before the first month starts.
How does a fractional CTO engagement start?
With a thirty-minute discovery call on where your team and roadmap stand today. Then Light or Standard is agreed in writing, and the work begins: architecture, vendor and hire vetting, roadmap and code review, with a monthly executive report. Either side can end it with 30 days' notice.
What is included
- Architecture & technical strategy
- Vendor and hire vetting
- Roadmap ownership
- Code review
- Monthly executive report
How it runs
- 1. Discovery call. Thirty minutes on where the team and the roadmap stand today.
- 2. Tier and terms in writing. Light or Standard, agreed before the first billing cycle.
- 3. Ongoing work. Architecture, vendor and hire vetting, roadmap, code review.
- 4. Monthly executive report. What shipped, what changed, what is next.
- 5. Month-to-month. Either side can end it with 30 days’ notice.
More questions
How is this different from hiring a CTO?
A full-time CTO is a salaried executive hire. This is the same technical leadership: architecture, hiring decisions, roadmap, code review, on a part-time, month-to-month retainer, without a full-time salary and with no severance or recruiting cycle if your needs change.
Can you work with my existing developers?
Yes. Most of this engagement is architecture guidance, code review, and roadmap direction for a team you already have, not a replacement for your developers, oversight for them.
What's the minimum commitment?
Month-to-month with 30-day notice on either side. No annual contract.
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