A fractional CTO, sourced and governed by Lightbridge.
A fractional CTO is a part-time technology executive who owns architecture, engineering leadership, and vendor accountability on an ongoing retainer. Lightbridge sources and vets each fractional CTO fresh for the mandate through its network, accepts no placement kickbacks, and keeps governing the engagement while the executive is in the seat.
What a Lightbridge fractional CTO owns
Technology strategy and roadmap
The technology roadmap and its sequencing, tied to the company plan rather than run separately from it.
Architecture oversight
Ownership of the target-state architecture, coordinated with Lightbridge.ai enterprise architecture advisory where the two intersect.
Vendor and implementation-partner management
Direct accountability for the vendors and partners already delivering ERP, cloud, and custom development work.
Engineering leadership
Leadership of the internal engineering function, its structure, hiring, and delivery discipline.
Security and compliance posture
Ownership of the technology risk, security, and compliance posture the board and customers expect.
Board and investor technical narrative
The technical story a board or investor group needs, delivered by the executive who owns the roadmap.
A fractional CTO alongside Lightbridge program management
A fractional CTO is the ongoing executive who owns the technology function and decides which initiatives run. Lightbridge program management and technical leadership, delivered across ERP, Cloud, and AI, is the bounded, per-initiative execution layer beneath that seat. A placed fractional CTO draws on those practices directly, without a vendor handoff.
How Lightbridge sources and vets a fractional CTO for each engagement
There is no fixed roster of technology executives waiting to be assigned. Each mandate starts fresh: Lightbridge draws on a network of technology-leadership relationships to find and vet the right candidate against the architecture, team, and time commitment the client defines. Selection follows the client's stated needs, not a referral arrangement or placement fee: nothing shapes who gets put forward except fit for the mandate.
Related Lightbridge fractional executive roles
Lightbridge also places a Fractional CFO and a Fractional CIO, each sourced for its own mandate. The fractional executive leadership hub covers every role.
Lightbridge fractional CTO: frequently asked questions
What does a fractional CTO do?
The fractional CTO seat covers technology strategy, architecture oversight, engineering leadership, and accountability for every vendor and implementation partner building the company systems, staffed part-time and ongoing rather than as a one-time hire. Each placement is matched to the client requirements first, and Lightbridge stays accountable for the seat once someone is in it.
How is a fractional CTO different from Lightbridge program management services?
Program management and technical leadership, delivered across the ERP, Cloud, and AI practices, is a bounded engagement scoped to a specific initiative. A fractional CTO is the ongoing executive who owns the whole technology function and decides which initiatives to run in the first place. A placed fractional CTO frequently draws on those same practices once in the seat.
Who is placed as a fractional CTO?
No single individual is placed into every engagement. Each fractional CTO is sourced and vetted against that client specific architecture, team, and vendor landscape, so the sourcing and governance process is the consistent element, not one person résumé.
Does a fractional CTO manage vendors and implementation partners directly?
Yes. A core part of the seat is oversight of the vendors and implementation partners already delivering the company technology, holding them to architecture and timeline, and deciding when a vendor relationship needs to change. This is the same accountable-owner model Lightbridge already applies across ERP and Cloud platform delivery, run here from inside the client organization.
When should a company engage a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO placement makes sense once technology decisions have outgrown a founder or a generalist operator, once growth demands architecture discipline the team does not have in-house yet, or as a bridge while a permanent CTO search is underway. Lightbridge is candid about the alternative too: if a full-time hire actually fits better, that is what gets recommended.
What is a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO is a senior technology executive who serves a company part-time and on an ongoing basis. The seat covers technology strategy, architecture, and engineering direction. Lightbridge sources each fractional CTO against the client's mandate through its network, with no standing bench waiting on assignment.
How much does a fractional CTO cost?
Cost follows the mandate: the time commitment, the breadth of the seat, and the seniority required. Lightbridge defines those up front so the terms are explicit. Lightbridge accepts no placement kickbacks, so the candidate is chosen on fit with the mandate and not on any incentive.
Scope a Lightbridge fractional CTO placement.
Walk Lightbridge through the architecture and the team already in place. The requirements get scoped before any candidate is named.