Technical leadership when you don't have a CTO
Or the one you have could need a hand.
The situation
Your CTO left. Your engineering starts to drift, nobody makes important decisions, status updates don't show the real situation and the team is losing confidence.
You never had a CTO. You didn't need one with three engineers. Now you have twelve, each decision cost real money. Nobody owns the technical direction.
Your CTO is capable but alone. Everything routes through your CTO, creating a key-person risk and they have no peer to double-check decisions with.
The new CTO starts in three months. Someone has to keep shipping and make sure the handover is clean instead of a six-month ramp-up.
Three shapes
| Cover | Sparring | Handover | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You get | Me as acting CTO | A standing peer and sparring partner for your CTO | A structured transition to the incoming CTO |
| Rhythm | 2-3 days / week | 2-3 days / month, fixed slot | 4-6 weeks, front-loaded |
| Term | 3-6 months | Rolling, 3 months minimum | Fixed |
| Ends with | Successor onboarded or team self-sufficient | - | Signed-off handover-package |
| Fee | Day rate, from € 2,500 / day | Monthly retainer, from € 4,500 / month | Fiexed fee, from € 18,000 |
All prices net + VAT or reverse charge where applicable.
Payment for Cover and Sparring: 50% of one month on signature, monthly at end of month, 14 days.
Payment for Handover: 50% on signature, remainder after term, 14 days.
Booked days / slots are held exclusively.
Cancellation: 25% more than 15 working days before start, 50% within 15, 100% within 5. One free postponement with 15 working day notice and new start within 2 months.
Working with me
Benefits of working with me.
- You get me. I am senior, accountable and build alongside your team. No agency, no bench, no juniors doing the grunt work and partners, presenting someone else's work.
- You get what I think. Direct, fast, no filler. Including "I do not know" or "you do not need me for this".
Get in touch
If that sounds like a fit:
Book a call. 30 minutes, no charge. I will tell you what I think.