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Explore our vision: Incredible, effortless recruitment
£110k-£180k
Typical base salary
12 wks
Replacement guarantee
Strategy plus delivery
They set the technical vision and still ship. Ask what they've built and scaled, not just what they've planned.
Right stage for your business
A CTO who scaled a 200-engineer org may struggle in a team of ten, and the reverse. Match the stage.
Leadership and hiring
Much of the job is building and keeping a strong engineering team. Look for a real track record of it.
How to run the hire
1. Agree the mandate with the board
Decide what the CTO must deliver in 12-18 months - a rebuild, a security posture, a product shift - and the success measures.
2. Match the stage, not just the title
Target people who've operated at your size and trajectory, because the job differs hugely between a startup and a scale-up.
3. Source through trusted networks
Senior technology leaders come from introductions and headhunting, not adverts.
4. Make them present a plan
Have the shortlist present a technology plan for your business to the leadership team.
5. Reference deeply
Speak to former peers and reports about judgement, delivery and how they built teams.
At executive level, fees generally run 25-30% of first-year salary, and searches are often retained given the seniority and discretion.
We agree the structure and fee upfront, with nothing due until your hire starts.
Expect 10-16 weeks for a board-level role.
Getting the board aligned on the mandate before you start is the biggest thing you can do to keep it on track. The people exist, but matching stage and chemistry takes time.
A CTO owns the technology strategy and the engineering organisation that delivers it - architecture direction, delivery, security, and often product.
They sit on the leadership team and are accountable for technology decisions that shape the business for years, not sprints.
A CTO is usually product- and engineering-facing, owning what you build and how you build it.
An IT Director tends to own internal systems and infrastructure. Some businesses blur the two, so we scope the real remit before searching.
Try: Walk me through a technology strategy you set and delivered.
Tell me about a build that went wrong and what you changed.
How have you grown and kept an engineering team? and What's your first-100-days plan for us?
Yes. We help structure competitive packages including bonus and equity, and manage the negotiation.
Strong CTOs have options, so the offer has to be credible and well-judged, not just a number.
Tell us about your role and a specialist IT recruiter will call you. No fee until your hire starts.
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