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Portfolio Chief Technology OfficerPermanent CTO · hiring brief
How to Hire a CTO
How to Hire a CTO: write the technical problem as a brief, choose the route, approach people who are not looking, and assess every candidate on your own systems before making an offer.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 28 October 2026 · 5 sources linked below
- 3–5on every shortlist
- 5stages of vetting
- IR35set out on every brief
On the board · last 90 days
Which CTO roles are on the board?
Permanent CTO roles first, then the seat in any engagement and the wider function when the board runs short.
- Reg Advantage LtdSyndicatedFractionalProduction Lead and Fractional CTO
- Green Orbit LtdSyndicatedFractionalFractional CTO Wanted | Green Orbit | Initially Equity Only | UK-Based
- Maxima Opus Ltd | Cloud, Cyber & CTO ConsultingSyndicatedFractionalFractional CTO
- DocclaSyndicatedTemporaryHead of Data (Maternity Cover)
- Flat IronSyndicatedFractionalFractional IT Director – Technology & AI (FTC)
- Flat IronSyndicatedFractionalFractional IT Director – Technology & AI
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The brief
How to Hire a CTO: what must the role own?
Write what the technology seat must deliver in the first year.
- 01The problemWrite what the technology seat must deliver in the first year.
- 02InheritanceList the team, code, suppliers and debt the CTO inherits.
- 03BoardSay whether the CTO joins the board and what they report.
- 04Equity and paySet the package range before search.
Role reference: Acas: recruitment. Acas notes there is no set recruitment process in law, but employers must follow a fair one; it applies to every step of how to hire a CTO.
The steps
How to hire a CTO: five steps
Brief, route, search, assess, start.
1. Brief. Write the technical problem and what the CTO inherits. 2. Route. Permanent, fractional, interim or part-time; decide before setting a budget. 3. Search. Strong CTOs are usually in post, so someone must approach them. 4. Assess. Give each candidate the same review of your architecture. 5. Start. Agree the first 90 days in writing.
The working pattern
What changes when the CTO is permanent?
Hiring a permanent CTO is a decision about who owns technology for years. The process should test judgement on your systems, not general interview performance.
The illustrative brief: a Series A company replacing a founding engineer. The founding engineer built the product and now leads twelve engineers but wants to go back to building.
The appointment owns: The company hires a permanent CTO to own architecture, hiring and security; the founding engineer becomes principal engineer.
Another owner retains: The CEO keeps product vision; the founding engineer keeps a defined technical domain.
The case is illustrative; it does not describe a Fractional Quest placement.
From brief to start
How do you hire a CTO, step by step?
The first three steps are ours; the last four are what has to be true before the first day. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date.
- Day 001The 15-minute callWhat the CTO must own, the working pattern, the start date and the budget.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, the days, and how the engagement will run for IR35.Us
- Weeks 1–303Search, references, shortlistWe approach people who aren’t looking, verify tenure, take references ourselves and return three to five.Us
- Week 404OfferConfirm package, authority and board role in writing.You
- Before day one · 205AccessProvide architecture, incident history and roadmap.You
- Before day one · 306IntroductionsIntroduce the team, key customers and investors.You
- Before day one · 407First 90 daysAgree the questions they will answer by day 90.You
Your figures
What does part of a CTO’s week cost?
Rate × days × weeks, against a loaded full-time package. Move the sliders; the numbers redraw.
- CTO band £1,000–£1,600 (Leadership Services 2026)
Year-one cost, fractional
£119,600
Fractional costs less in year one by£64,225
Our arithmetic. £160,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary + employer NI at 15% above £5,000 (HMRC) = £183,825. Excludes pension, bonus and any search fee.
Assessment
How should you assess CTO candidates?
Put the same work and evidence in front of each candidate before comparing answers.
- Comparable decisionAsk for an architecture or organisation decision at your stage and its result.
- AuthorityTest how they would disagree with the CEO on a technical trade-off.
- TeamAsk how they hired and kept engineers in a tight market.
- HandoverAsk how they took over from a founder without losing them.
Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.
Vetting
What happens before anyone reaches your shortlist?
Five stages before a candidate reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
The right pattern
Does this hiring pattern fit the work?
Test the amount of the week, the expected end and the continuity needed before writing the contract.
Questions
How to Hire a CTO: questions, answered
A brief to hire a CTO begins with the problem: Write what the technology seat must deliver in the first year. Then a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.
Hiring a permanent CTO is a decision about who owns technology for years. The process should test judgement on your systems, not general interview performance.
Comparable decision. Ask for an architecture or organisation decision at your stage and its result. Authority. Test how they would disagree with the CEO on a technical trade-off. Team. Ask how they hired and kept engineers in a tight market. Handover. Ask how they took over from a founder without losing them.
Offer. Confirm package, authority and board role in writing. Access. Provide architecture, incident history and roadmap. Introductions. Introduce the team, key customers and investors. First 90 days. Agree the questions they will answer by day 90.
Brief us on what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
Sources
Where does every reference on this page come from?
- acas.org.uk
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1Acas: recruitment acas.org.uk
- 2Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 3Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 4
- 5Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.