Fractional CTO
Executive-level technical leadership, without the full-time hire.
XRiley Fractional CTO is for companies that need senior technical judgment, architectural clarity, and operational discipline—before they are ready or able to hire a full-time CTO.
You get executive-level direction, hands-on leadership, and system-level thinking that protects the business while unlocking team velocity.
Why organizations choose a Fractional CTO
Most organizations reach an inflection point where engineering decisions carry more risk than the team is comfortable holding. Product is growing, complexity is rising, reliability expectations increase—and suddenly engineering needs more than execution. It needs direction.
A Fractional CTO provides that direction long before a full-time executive is required. You get clarity, standards, and leadership that shape how the system and team evolve.
What you get
Architectural Clarity
Architecture aligned to business realities, not theoretical models. Decision frameworks that scale. Clear standards that outlive individuals.
Technical Leadership
Hands-on partnership with senior engineers and managers. Coaching for Staff+ roles. Alignment between engineering, product, and executives.
Operational Discipline
Delivery systems that reduce risk. Standards for incident management, reliability, and decision documentation.
Engagement model
Weekly or Bi-Weekly Cadence
Structured conversations focused on decisions, architecture, tradeoffs, and risk surfaces—paired with written follow-ups that preserve alignment.
Hands-On Guidance
Architecture reviews, roadmap calibration, hiring support, and technical leadership coaching embedded directly into your team's workflow.
Executive Alignment
Common language and clear expectations across product, engineering, operations, and leadership—so the organization moves as one.
Ideal for
- Startups needing guidance before a full-time CTO hire.
- Teams scaling into new complexity or reliability requirements.
- Organizations undergoing refactors, migrations, or architectural shifts.
- Companies recovering from outages, regressions, or delivery breakdowns.
Ready to bring executive-level technical direction into your organization?
Reach out and start the discussion. We'll determine the right engagement model and get your team moving with clarity.
Start a conversation