Fractional VP of engineering and fractional CTO are both senior technical roles, but they solve different problems. Picking the right one depends on whether your gap is strategy or execution.
Fractional VP of engineering is operationally focused — team management, sprint cadence, delivery quality. Fractional CTO is strategically focused — technical strategy, architecture, board credibility. VP fractional: $10K-$20K/month. CTO fractional: $10K-$25K/month. Pick VP if you need team execution leadership. Pick CTO if you need technical strategy and architectural decisions.
Fractional VP engineering: team management, hiring, sprint cadence, delivery quality, engineering process. Focused on operational excellence of the engineering team.
Fractional CTO: technical strategy, architecture decisions, board credibility on technical matters, M&A diligence. More strategic, less operational.
Four signals:
1. Engineering team needs leadership and process
2. Sprint delivery is inconsistent
3. Team is growing past 5-10 engineers and needs management infrastructure
4. Don't yet need a full-time VP, want senior interim
Four signals:
1. Technical strategy decisions are stuck
2. Architecture or platform decisions are pending
3. You're raising and need technical leadership credibility
4. M&A or major technical decisions on horizon
Companies $10M-$50M ARR with engineering teams of 15-50 sometimes hire both: fractional CTO at 1 day/week for strategy + fractional VP engineering at 2 days/week for operations. Combined: $20K-$40K/month vs $500K+/year for full-time equivalents.