Hire a fractional CTO
UK in 48 hours.
Hire a fractional CTO — senior technical leadership, 1–3 days a week — for startups scaling, enterprises transforming, and teams needing strategic tech direction. UK-wide, outside IR35, shortlist in 48 hours.
What are fractional CTO jobs?
Fractional CTO jobs are part-time chief technology roles where you own the tech strategy within a defined scope — not a consultant, not an advisor. Four ideas define the model.
A chief technology officer, 1–3 days a week.
Senior, proven CTO capability across a defined slice of the week. You get the technical leadership you need without a full-time salary or a five-day commitment.
Owns the tech strategy — not just advising.
Unlike a consultant or advisor, a fractional CTO is the technology leader: owns architecture, leads the engineering team, and makes the technical decisions.
Structured correctly from day one.
Engagements are built outside IR35 by default — right of substitution, no mutuality of obligation, contractor-controlled working. CEST-tested.
A mandate, not a tenure.
Scoped to an outcome — a platform rebuild, a scale transformation, a tech debt reduction — typically 12–24 months, often with a clean handover to a permanent CTO.
What a fractional CTO delivers.
Accountable for technology strategy and architecture — and answerable to the CEO and board, exactly like a permanent chief technology officer.
Technical strategy & system design
Owns the architecture roadmap, technology choices and platform evolution — accountable for scalability, security and technical debt management.
Team structure & delivery
Scales the engineering organisation, defines team topology, owns hiring standards and delivery processes. Builds a team that ships.
Product-engineering alignment
Partners with product leadership to balance technical excellence with shipping velocity. Translates business needs into technical reality.
Board, investor & customer trust
The technical voice in the boardroom, during due diligence, and with enterprise customers. Brings instant credibility to technical discussions.
Fractional CTO vs alternatives.
How the fractional model compares to interim, executive chair, advisor and full-time appointments.
Part-time CTO cost.
Model the cost vs a full-time CTO, or what you could earn across your portfolio.
Outside IR35 by default.
All fractional CTO engagements are structured outside IR35 from day one. Here's how — reference: HMRC off-payroll working (IR35) guidance and the CEST tool.
You control the "how"
Fractional CTOs set their own working methods, hours and location. The company defines the outcome; the CTO decides how to achieve it.
Right of substitution
Contract includes an explicit right to provide a suitably qualified substitute. This is rarely exercised but legally present.
No obligation
No mutuality of obligation — the company isn't obliged to offer work beyond the agreed scope; the CTO can decline additional work.
When to hire a fractional CTO.
Four situations where a fractional chief technology officer is often the right answer — typically engineering teams of 5–25 that need CTO-level strategy, architecture oversight and team leadership without a £120k–£200k+ full-time cost.
Technical founder scaling
The technical founder wants to focus on product vision or step into CEO role. A fractional CTO handles architecture, team scaling and engineering processes while the founder transitions.
Platform rebuild
Legacy tech debt blocking growth. Need senior technical leadership to architect and execute a migration while keeping the lights on. Too critical for consultants, not permanent enough for full-time.
Team scale 10→50
Engineering team outgrowing founder/VP leadership. Need CTO-level thinking for architecture, org design and technical strategy but not ready for £200K+ package.
Due diligence prep
Fundraising or acquisition on horizon. Need credible CTO presence for technical due diligence, architecture documentation and engineering maturity. Fractional CTO brings instant credibility.
How to hire a fractional CTO.
The buyer's guide, compressed: scope, source, assess, then a structured trial. A vetted CTO for hire typically starts within 2–4 weeks — against 3–6 months for a permanent search.
How to hire a fractional CTO for a startup
At pre-seed and seed, published tiers run roughly £1,795–£3,500 a month at about one day a week, rising to £4,000–£7,000 through seed to Series A at one to two days. Scope the engagement to a specific outcome — a technical assessment, an architecture decision — rather than an open-ended strategic retainer. It is easier to judge and cheaper to stop.
How to hire a fractional CTO team
Sometimes one part-time person cannot carry it. The common shape: a fractional CTO at 1–2 days a week owning architecture, standards and the board relationship; a delivery or engineering manager at 3–5 days running the day-to-day; and flexible contract build capacity underneath both. Insist on one accountable technical owner in writing — and an exit plan that documents the team out of a job.
The four-step process
Define your technical scope and budget — monthly retainers typically £2,000–£8,000 at 1–2 days a week. Source through investor and advisor referrals, specialist platforms and technical networks, or submit a brief to us. Assess with a portfolio deep-dive and technical scenarios against your stack. Then start with a structured 1–3 month trial with clear deliverables.
How we vet fractional CTOs.
Every candidate through the same four-stage verification before they reach your shortlist.
Pedigree screen
Verify prior CTO/VP Eng tenure, tech stack and scale. No consultants-pretending-to-be-fractional.
SOURCINGTechnical fit
Match to your stack, architecture needs and engineering culture — not just buzzwords.
MATCHINGReference deep-dive
Speak to recent fractional clients and engineering teams. Real delivery, not just strategy.
VERIFYShortlist + analysis
3–5 candidates, each with rate percentile, technical fit and IR35 structure attached.
48 HOURSFractional CTO FAQ.
Common questions from companies on the buy side and CTOs looking for fractional work.
Other fractional roles.
Explore related fractional executive positions and recruitment services.
Bring the brief.
We architect the team.
Partner-read in 48 hours. Success-fee model. Replacement guarantee.
For hiring companies
Submit your fractional CTO brief and get a shortlist of vetted candidates in 48 hours.
Submit a brief →For fractional CTOs
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