Chief technology officers · the career path
How to become a CTO
The short answer · updated
Most chief technology officers (CTOs) start as software engineers, then lead a team, then run engineering as a head or VP of engineering, and take the CTO seat in a start-up, a scale-up or a larger company. The step up is owning technical direction: architecture, the engineering team, security and the technology plan the board signs off.
The usual route: engineer, lead, head of engineering, CTO
Most CTOs start by building software. They become a technical lead, then an engineering manager, then a head or VP of engineering running several teams. The CTO seat comes when they own the technical direction of the whole company, not just delivery.
The other common route is founding. A technical co-founder is often the CTO from day one and grows into the role as the company grows. The job changes at every stage: writing code and choosing the stack in a start-up, building an engineering organisation in a scale-up, setting direction across many teams in a large company.
Some CTOs come through architecture, infrastructure or security rather than product engineering. Our page on what a CTO does sets out the role you are working towards, and how it differs from a CIO.
The skills the CTO seat asks for
The government’s Digital and Data Capability Framework calls the CTO the organisation’s technology strategist, and lists the skills the seat asks for:
- choosing the technologies that best serve the organisation’s objectives, and assessing unfamiliar ones quickly;
- making architecture decisions that weigh cost, functionality and skills;
- assessing the full financial implications of a technology buying decision, and explaining them to finance, risk and commercial colleagues;
- spotting early trends in technology, data and cyber security that matter to the organisation;
- building the specialist skills and ways of working the organisation needs.
Security, data protection and R&D
A CTO answers for how securely the product is built. The government’s Software Security Code of Practice, co-designed with the NCSC, sets out the principles software vendors are expected to follow to reduce the likelihood and impact of supply-chain attacks. Know it before you are asked about it.
The product has to handle personal data lawfully. The ICO’s guidance on data protection by design and by default says data protection must be built in from the design stage and throughout the lifecycle. That is an engineering decision, and the CTO owns it.
Many CTOs also carry the technical case for R&D tax relief. HMRC requires a project to seek an advance in a field of science or technology. Learning to write that case well is part of the job in a company that claims it.
Qualifications and professional bodies
No qualification is required to be a CTO. Cloud certifications such as AWS Certified or Google Cloud Certified show architecture depth, CISSP shows security depth, and Scrum certification shows delivery practice. Some CTOs hold an MBA for the business side. Boards weigh the systems and teams you have built above any of them.
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is the professional body. Its chartered registration assesses both competence and conduct, and asks for continuing professional development.
SFIA’s levels of responsibility are a useful yardstick for the step up. The top level describes operating at the highest organisational level, setting vision and strategy and taking accountability for overall success.
Fractional, interim and part-time CTO work
Experienced engineering leaders can take the CTO title on a fractional basis: a set number of days a week or month, often for an early company choosing its architecture, a non-technical founder who needs a technical counterpart, or a business preparing for due diligence. See our fractional CTO jobs and part-time CTO jobs.
An interim CTO works full-time for a fixed period, to cover a departure, steady a team or lead a rebuild. See our interim CTO jobs.
Fractional and interim CTOs often work through their own company, so the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply. IR35 is decided by how each engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
What a CTO earns
Pay moves with the company’s stage, funding and sector, the size of the engineering team and how much equity is on offer. A permanent CTO is paid a salary, often with equity; a fractional or interim CTO a day rate.
We do not publish a figure on this page. Our CTO salary page sets out permanent and fractional pay, and our fractional CTO cost page covers day rates. Each figure there carries its source.
How companies hire a CTO
Expect to walk through a system you designed, a team you built and a failure you owned, and often a short practical exercise on the company’s own product. Be ready to explain a technical choice to a non-technical founder or board.
If you join the board, you take on a director’s legal duties. Companies House guidance says the duties apply even to someone who acts as a director without being formally appointed, which matters for a founding CTO.
Our CTO headhunter page sets out how companies hire a CTO through us. We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives. Every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after the five-stage vetting we describe.
Questions people ask
Do you need a computer science degree to become a CTO?
No. Many CTOs hold one, but boards and founders look first at the systems and teams you have built. Engineers from other degrees, and from none, reach the CTO seat.
Does a CTO need to code?
A CTO needs to understand code well enough to judge architecture and people. In an early start-up the CTO often still writes code; in a larger company the job is direction, hiring and standards. See what a CTO does.
What certifications help a CTO?
Cloud certifications such as AWS Certified or Google Cloud Certified, CISSP for security and Scrum for delivery practice. None is required. BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, offers chartered registration.
Can you become a CTO by founding a company?
Yes. A technical co-founder is often the CTO from the start. The role then changes as the company grows, from writing code to building and leading an engineering organisation.
Can you work as a fractional CTO?
Yes, once you have led engineering at head or VP level or held a CTO seat. Fractional CTOs work a set number of days for several companies. See our fractional CTO jobs.
How much does a CTO earn?
It depends on the company’s stage, funding and sector. Our CTO salary page sets out sourced figures. We set out pay or day rate for every candidate on a shortlist.
