Fractional Technical Leadership
Technical leadership without the full-time hire
For founders and teams who need an experienced technical leader in their corner, but without the cost or commitment of a full-time CTO.
Weekly advisory calls
A structured weekly call to work through decisions, blockers, and direction. So technical momentum never stalls.
Async access
Slack or email access between calls for quick questions, decisions, and real-time input when it matters.
Team leadership & hiring
Run 1:1s, shape hiring briefs, and assess candidates. So your team has the leadership it needs to move fast.
Architecture & technical decisions
Own or advise on the key technical choices (stack, design, trade-offs...) before they become expensive mistakes.
Your team is shipping. But who owns the technical direction?
You have developers building, but no one with the experience to make the calls that matter.
Architecture; team structure; tooling; risk management; product design; hiring...
Those decisions are landing on you, or they're not being made at all.
Costly misdirection
Wrong technical choices made early compound into six-figure problems later
Founder bottleneck
Tech decisions that should be delegated are landing on the wrong person
Team without direction
Developers without clear technical ownership drift, slow down, or leave
A full-time CTO costs $200k+ per year before equity, super, annual leave etc.
Fractional leadership gives you senior technical oversight at a fraction of that.
You gain the expertise without the long-term commitment of a full-time employee.
Get technical leadership in your corner
Book a free call to discuss your situation and whether Fractional Technical Leadership is the right fit.
Or email me at [email protected]
What's included
Four areas of engagement that together cover the full scope of technical leadership
Weekly advisory calls
A structured weekly call with a clear agenda. We work through upcoming decisions, surface blockers early, and keep technical direction aligned with your business goals.
Async access
Slack or email access between calls for quick input on decisions, vendor evaluations, or anything that can't wait until the next call. Same-day response during business hours.
Team leadership & hiring
Run 1:1s with developers, shape job briefs, and assess candidates. Your team gets the leadership and clarity they need; you get confidence that you're hiring well.
Architecture & technical decisions
Own or advise on technical choices (stack, design patterns, infrastructure, trade-offs...) at the strategic level, before they lock you into something expensive to undo.
How it works
A structured engagement from day one, with a clean off-ramp when you're ready
Onboard
Context gathering: codebase, business, team, roadmap, and immediate risks. The goal is to get up to speed fast so I can provide value from week one, not week six.
Ongoing engagement
Weekly calls, async access, and active leadership within the agreed scope. Decisions get made, the team gets direction, and technical risk gets managed consistently.
Clean handover
When you hire a full-time CTO or no longer need the engagement, we do a structured handover. Documented decisions, context, and recommendations. So nothing is lost in the transition.
Who this is for
Fractional Technical Leadership is for founders and businesses with a technical leadership gap + the self-awareness to know the importance of filling it properly.No technical co-founder
You're leading a dev team but nobody with the experience to own the technical direction. That gap is starting to show.
Post-agency transition
Moving development in-house and need experienced oversight during the shift, before mistakes get locked in.
Between CTOs
Bridging the gap while hiring a permanent technical leader, so nothing stalls and no bad decisions get made in the interim.
Not ready for full-time
Revenue doesn't yet justify a $200k+ full-time hire, but you need the function. Fractional gives you the leadership without the overhead.
Senior leadership at a fraction of the cost
A full-time CTO costs $200k+/year before equity. Fractional engagement starts at A$7,000/month
No hiring timeline, no benefits overhead, no equity dilution
Monthly Rate
A$7,000 – A$10,000
per month + GST
The monthly rate is agreed upfront based on three factors:
Complexity
Size of the codebase, team, and overall technical risk profile
Risk
Urgency, delivery pressure, or active technical crises that need immediate attention
Level of ownership
Advisory and oversight vs. actively leading the team and making day-to-day decisions
Fixed rate. No surprises.
The monthly rate is agreed before the engagement starts and doesn't change mid-stream. You know exactly what you're paying.
Leadership, not implementation.
This engagement covers advisory, direction, and leadership. Hands-on implementation or development work is a separate engagement.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Fractional Technical Leadership
How is this different from hiring a full-time CTO?
Speed and cost, primarily. A full-time CTO search takes months and costs $200k+ per year before equity. Fractional leadership starts within a week and scales with what you actually need. It's particularly well-suited to companies that aren't yet at the stage where a full-time technical leader is the right hire, but who still need the function covered properly.
What does "level of ownership" mean in practice?
At the lower end, I'm in an advisory role. Attending key calls, reviewing decisions, and being available for input. At the higher end, I'm actively leading the team day-to-day: running 1:1s, making technical decisions, managing delivery risk, and interfacing with stakeholders. We agree the level before we start, and it drives the monthly rate.
Is there a minimum engagement period?
There's no fixed minimum published here. It's something we agree based on your situation. That said, meaningful technical leadership takes time to make an impact. If you're looking for a very short-term engagement, the free discovery call is the right place to start. Together we'll figure out what makes sense.
How do you onboard without disrupting the team?
The first one to two weeks are intentionally low-intervention. I'm listening, reading, asking questions. Not making sweeping changes. The goal is to understand the context first, then lead with clarity. By the time I start making decisions or recommendations, your team knows they're well-founded.
Can I add implementation work on top of this?
Implementation is scoped and quoted separately. Mixing leadership and hands-on development work in a single engagement tends to create conflicts. The best technical leaders aren't in the code every day. If you need both, we can discuss a structure that keeps them clean and complementary.
Ready to get technical leadership in your corner?
Book a free call. We'll discuss your situation and whether Fractional Technical Leadership is the right fit. And what the engagement would look like for you.
Or email me at [email protected]