Fractional CTO
Fractional CTO for SaaS & AI Products
Strategic technical leadership to align architecture and execution — without the overhead of a full-time CTO.
Typical outcomes
Clear direction, fewer wrong turns, and faster execution with strong technical governance.
- Architecture roadmap aligned with business goals
- Execution plan with priorities and milestones
- Hiring plan and role definitions
- Cloud cost and scalability guardrails
- Risk review and decision support
When senior technical leadership becomes the constraint
Fractional CTO is the right fit when product growth increases complexity and the team needs clarity, governance, and strong decisions to move faster without creating long-term risk.
Architecture drift
Teams ship quickly but the system becomes harder to change: inconsistent patterns, unclear boundaries, and increasing operational risk.
Execution feels chaotic
Priorities change weekly, delivery is unpredictable, and teams lack an operating model that scales.
Hiring without a blueprint
You add people but don’t reduce risk. Roles are unclear, standards aren’t defined, and leadership bandwidth becomes the bottleneck.
Costs and reliability are unstable
Cloud costs rise unpredictably and reliability becomes reactive without SLOs, observability baselines, and guardrails.
What I deliver as a Fractional CTO
The output is practical leadership: architecture clarity, decision velocity, and governance that helps your team ship reliably. Not just advice — alignment and execution support.
Architecture Strategy & Technical Roadmap
Define target architecture and a pragmatic plan to reach it.
- Current-state assessment and risk mapping
- Target architecture definition (SaaS, API, cloud-native, AI)
- Milestone-based technical roadmap (90 days + beyond)
- Decision framework for trade-offs and priorities
Engineering Execution & Governance
Make delivery predictable as the team grows.
- Operating model and delivery workflow
- Quality gates and release discipline
- Interface ownership and boundary clarity
- Architecture reviews and escalation path
Hiring Guidance & Team Design
Build the right team for your stage and roadmap.
- Role definitions and hiring priorities
- Interview loops and evaluation criteria
- Onboarding baseline and engineering standards
- Support for tech leads and team structure
Platform Implementation (when needed)
Yes — I implement when it creates leverage and reduces risk.
- Hands-on work for critical architecture components
- Prototypes and reference implementations
- Complex migrations and platform modernization
- Implementation oversight with your team or vendors
Cloud, Cost & Scalability Control
Prevent infra from becoming unpredictable and expensive.
- Cost model and optimization levers
- Scalability bottleneck identification
- Reliability baselines (SLOs, observability)
- Security posture and boundary design
Engagement models
Many teams start with a short discovery sprint and then move to a monthly retainer. Cadence adapts to urgency and stage.
Discovery Sprint (1–2 weeks)
Fast assessment to clarify priorities, risks, and the next 90 days.
Output: priorities + risk map + initial roadmap
Fractional CTO Retainer (monthly)
Ongoing leadership: decisions, reviews, governance, and execution support.
Output: leadership + governance + reviews + decision support
Scale-up Support (project-based)
Hands-on support during critical growth phases, migrations, or platform transitions.
Output: roadmap execution + oversight + risk reduction
FAQ
How is this different from consulting?
Consulting often stops at recommendations. Fractional CTO includes ownership of technical direction, decision-making support, and governance that stays with your team while you execute.
Do you work hands-on as a Fractional CTO?
Yes. My primary value is leadership and architecture, but I also implement when it creates leverage — for critical components, prototypes, or complex infrastructure work — and/or provide close implementation oversight.
Do you work with existing CTOs or tech leads?
Yes. I often partner with CTOs and tech leads when platform complexity (APIs, Kubernetes, AI) exceeds available senior decision bandwidth.
What cadence do you work in?
Typically weekly architecture/review sessions plus async decision support. Cadence adapts to your stage and urgency.
Get senior technical leadership without full-time overhead
If you need architecture clarity, better execution alignment, and a roadmap that scales with your product — let’s talk.