CTO AS A SERVICE
Senior technology leadership, on demand.
A fractional or interim CTO who sets your technology direction, reviews your architecture and structures your team : without the executive hire, and reversible at every step.
Why this service
Decisions first.
Headcount later.
The expensive technology mistakes are decisions : the wrong architecture, the wrong platform, the wrong team structure. They get made early, often before a company can justify a full-time CTO. This service puts a senior technologist in the room for exactly those decisions, at the rhythm your company actually needs.
Fractional CTO
Rhythm
A few days per month, ongoing
Duration
Continuous
For
Companies that need senior direction without a full-time executive
Interim CTO
Rhythm
Full-time
Duration
3 to 12 months
For
A leadership gap, a departure to bridge, a critical delivery to secure
Project-based
Rhythm
Scoped to the initiative
Duration
Defined deliverables
For
An architecture review, a technical due diligence, a modernization decision
Sound familiar?
The situations that bring companies to us.
“We’re building a product, and nobody senior owns the technical decisions.”
“Our CTO left, and we can’t afford six months of vacancy.”
“The board approved the budget. Now someone has to choose the architecture.”
“We’re acquiring a company and need to understand what we’re buying.”
“Our engineering team grew fast, and delivery got slower.”
What a STEPS CTO does
Four responsibilities.
One accountable person.
Technology strategy
The roadmap, and the decisions that shape it.
Technology roadmapBuild vs buyPlatform & vendor evaluationM&A technical due diligence
Architecture & security
Systems designed to hold, reviewed before they cost you.
Architecture reviewsCloud strategySecurity architectureTechnical debt reduction
Team & organization
The right people, structured to deliver.
Team structureHiring strategy & interviewsMentoring engineering leadsCareer frameworks
Delivery & operations
Engineering that ships, visible to the board.
Development processDevOps & CI/CDBoard reportingCompliance preparation
How it starts
From first call
to committed, in weeks.
Scope
A 60-minute session on your stack, your team and your decisions ahead : with a CTO, not a salesperson.
60-minute session
Meet
You interview the actual person who would take the role. No CV roulette.
Your CTO, named
Start
First deliverables within the first month : an architecture review, a roadmap draft, a decision record.
First month
Adjust
Monthly rhythm, scalable up or down. The model can change as your needs do.
Monthly · reversible
Compare the options
CTO as a Service,
full-time CTO or freelancer?
CTO as a Service gives you the judgment of a senior technology leader for a share of the time and cost of a full-time hire. Here is how it compares with the two usual alternatives.
| CTO as a Service (STEPS) | Full-time CTO | Freelance CTO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | 2 to 3 weeks | 3 to 6 months of hiring | 1 to 4 weeks |
| Commitment | A few days per month, adjustable | Permanent contract | Per mission |
| Cost structure | A share of a senior leader’s time | Full salary, equity and benefits | Daily rate |
| Team behind the CTO | Architects, engineers, QA and DevOps at STEPS | Built from scratch | None |
| Continuity | Backup and handover guaranteed by a company | Depends on one person | Stops when the freelancer leaves |
| Best for | Startups and SMEs before or between CTO hires | Scale-ups whose product is the core business | One-off audits |
Many of our clients start with a fractional CTO, then use the same CTO to recruit and onboard their permanent technology leader.
Budget
What shapes the cost
of a fractional CTO.
The cost of CTO as a Service depends on four things, and we agree on all of them before you commit:
- Time commitment. A few days per month for a fractional CTO, several days per week for an interim CTO.
- Scope. Strategy and governance only, or hands-on architecture, code reviews and delivery management.
- Duration. A focused mission of a few weeks, a transition of a few months, or an ongoing engagement.
- Team needs. Whether STEPS engineers also join your project through IT staff augmentation.
After the scoping session, you receive a fixed monthly amount, so you know the budget before the first day.
Why STEPS
A CTO in your time zone,
backed by a full team.
STEPS has designed, built and run business-critical platforms since 2012 from Tunis. Our CTOs are permanent employees, not freelancers, and they lean on a team of architects, engineers, QA and DevOps specialists.
- GMT+1. Full working-day overlap with Europe and most of Africa.
- Trilingual. French, English and Arabic, in meetings and in documentation.
- Proven at scale. We built the trade data platform and the business sentiment index of Afreximbank, and we are an official PAPSS integrator.
See how this works in practice on our case studies, or how CTO as a Service and team extension fit together on our technology partnership page.
Good to know
The goal is your autonomy, not our permanence.
A company behind the CTO.
Your CTO can pull on 30+ STEPS engineers when a question exceeds one person : architecture, data, AI, QA, cloud.
We prepare our own exit.
Decision records, documented architecture, team mentoring : and help recruiting your permanent CTO when the time comes.
Leadership, not replacement.
The CTO leads and decides alongside your team; engineering capacity comes separately if you need it.
FAQ
CTO as a Service: your questions
What is CTO as a Service?
CTO as a Service is an engagement where a senior technology leader takes the CTO role in your company part-time or for a defined period. They set the technology strategy, own the architecture decisions, structure the team and report to your management, without a full-time hire.
What is the difference between a fractional CTO and an interim CTO?
A fractional CTO works a few days per month on an ongoing basis. An interim CTO works several days per week for a few months, usually to cover a departure or a critical phase, until a permanent CTO is in place.
When does a startup need CTO as a Service?
Typically when a non-technical founding team must choose a stack, hire its first developers or prepare a fundraise, or when a company has developers but no one accountable for architecture, security and delivery.
How much does CTO as a Service cost?
It depends on the time commitment, the scope, the duration and whether you also need engineers. We agree on these points during a free scoping session and then quote a fixed monthly amount.
How quickly can a STEPS CTO start?
Usually within 2 to 3 weeks after the scoping session, once the scope and the rhythm are agreed.
Will the CTO work with our existing developers or agency?
Yes. The CTO joins your rituals, reviews the work of your current team or provider and sets the standards everyone follows. The goal is to strengthen your team, not to replace it.
Can the CTO help us hire a permanent CTO?
Yes. Many engagements end with the STEPS CTO defining the role, interviewing candidates and handing over to the person you hire.
Can STEPS also provide the engineers?
Yes. The same senior pool supplies frontend, backend, QA, DevOps, data and AI engineers through IT staff augmentation, so strategy and execution stay aligned.