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Hire a Fractional CIO

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Amanda Huddy profile image
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Nathalie Couet profile image
Jonathan Grana profile image
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CIOs,
Full-Time Impact
Unlock executive level IT leadership without the overhead. Transform your team with pre-vetted, industry leading Chief Information Officers in as little as 3 days.

Hire a Fractional CIO

Hire a fractional CIO to provide executive-level IT leadership and management—at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CIO.

  • Nathan Keeter profile image
    Nathan Keeter
    1. Trader Joe'sTrader Joe's
    2. Dimension DataDimension Data
    3. City of HopeCity of Hope
    Expert in IT & Cybersecurity with 30+ years experience offering Fractional CISO/CTO services for startups, excelling in system management.
    Hire Nathan Keeter
  • Channin Gladden profile image
    Channin Gladden
    1. Thirty MadisonThirty Madison
    2. VGSVGS
    3. Arizona Auditor GeneralArizona Auditor General
    Healthcare compliance expert, excelling in privacy, cybersecurity, AI, and fractional risk management strategies.
    Hire Channin Gladden
  • Steve Cooke profile image
    Steve Cooke
    1. ChewyChewy
    2. HomeServe EMEAHomeServe EMEA
    3. HomeServe USAHomeServe USA
    Experienced IT executive with proven abilities in fractional IT strategies. Expertise in infrastructure, security, and cloud computing.
    Hire Steve Cooke
  • Daniel Gerow profile image
    Daniel Gerow
    1. WayfairAtWorkWayfairAtWork
    2. Nuance CommunicationsNuance Communications
    3. dataxudataxu
    Experienced Cloud Executive and Mentor with robust knowledge in fractional tech solutions, software development, and client relations.
    Hire Daniel Gerow
  • Luke Whitesides profile image
    Luke Whitesides
    1. EpicEpic
    2. University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
    3. Teladoc HealthTeladoc Health
    Senior Product Manager at Teladoc, expert in fractional agile methods & telehealth solutions for enterprise customers.
    Hire Luke Whitesides
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What is a Fractional CIO?

A fractional CIO (chief information officer) is a seasoned IT leader who provides the same services as a full-time CIO—but without the full-time salary commitment. Instead, fractional CIOs work with organizations on a part-time or contract basis. So they can tackle specific projects, deliver ongoing expertise, and scale their involvement as needed.

What does a Fractional CIO do?

Just like full-time CIOs, fractional CIOs can:

Develop IT strategies

Fractional CIOs can help build and implement strategies that are aligned with business goals and help drive long-term growth.

Optimize technology budgets

As part of your executive team, fractional CIOs can analyze IT budgets, pinpoint cost-saving opportunities, and recommend strategies to maximize returns.

Manage cybersecurity risks

Fractional CIOs have the expertise to help enhance data security and compliance, and create risk mitigation strategies to keep your business protected.

Lead and manage IT teams

They can guide existing IT teams through major changes or tough projects and mentor emerging leaders for high-level management positions.

Oversee digital transformation

Fractional CIOs can implement new business models to help businesses remain competitive, and navigate big transitions like mergers and acquisitions.

Implement new technologies

Whether you’re migrating data to the cloud or implementing a new AI tool, fractional CIOs can oversee this process to make sure it’s completed on time and within budget.

Enable cross-team collaboration

Fractional CIOs can work closely with leaders across teams like marketing, sales, and finance to make sure IT initiatives are streamlined and standardized.

The benefits of hiring a Fractional CIO

Fractional CIOs are ready to provide on-demand IT leadership and quickly make an impact. By hiring a fractional CIO, you can access:

Cost Savings

Gain executive-level guidance without having to pay annual salaries, benefits, bonuses, stock options, and relocation fees. So you can put more money towards growing your business.

Diverse Experience

Fractional CIOs come with a broad range of experience from working with companies across industries and verticals. And they’re ready to apply that experience to new challenges and opportunities.

Flexibility

Let your fractional CIO know exactly what you need, and bring them on board to start working right away. Looking for different services as your company evolves? Scale services up or down based on your seasonal changes or specific projects.

Fresh perspectives

As external hires, fractional CIOs can spot roadblocks and opportunities that internal teams might miss, bringing a fresh perspective to help solve strategic issues.

How to hire a Fractional CIO

No more juggling job boards and sorting through pools of unqualified applicants. Hiring a fractional CIO is easy with Go Fractional.
Here’s how it works:
Set your goals

Set your goals

Specify the type of candidate you need, including their industry experience, skills, and availability.

Find your match

Find your match

Search our curated network of thoroughly vetted CIOs. Don’t worry, we’ve already put them through a rigorous screening process to make sure they meet the highest standards.

Hash out the details

Hash out the details

Set up an interview or discussion with your top candidates to go over the details and ensure it’s a good fit.

Draft the proposal

Draft the proposal

We’ll take it from here. Once everyone is on board, Go Fractional will craft a detailed proposal for your fractional CIO, giving you and your stakeholders an opportunity to review it thoroughly.

Get started

Get started

Once you’ve reviewed and approved the proposal, we’ll send the contracts. And your fractional CIO can get to work.

We’ve helped hundreds of organizations Go Fractional

I worked with a Fractional Engineer to bring my MAD landscape project to life - we were able to brainstorm, design, and ultimately ship something great. To work with a trusted engineer brought confidence to the project, and positioned FirstMark to be able to scale this project in the future and into other verticals. I would highly recommend working with them if you need fractional talent.

Matt Turck

PartnerFirstMark
Matt Turck
Go Fractional provided Mockingbird with a founder-level engineering leader that helped us out of a huge amount of tech debt, streamlining and modernizing our entire e-commerce stack

Ross Berger

VP of OperationsMockingbird
Ross Berger
Working with Go Fractional has been an absolute pleasure. They connected us with high-quality engineering leaders and filled the role within just 12 days of our first call. After six weeks of fractional work, he joined as our permanent VP of Engineering. Go Fractional’s speed and partnership significantly boosted our team’s productivity, and we are thrilled to have filled the position seamlessly without any gaps.

Victoria Ashton

Vice President of PeopleLob
Victoria Ashton
Go Fractional provided a detailed audit of our tech stack with a prioritized list of recommendations while redesigning and launching our app to a new single codebase across all platforms

Nick Kenner

CEO & FounderJust Salad
Nick Kenner
Hiring a fractional Head of Data Science has been transformative for our company. At just 50% of the cost of a full-time data scientist, we secured a seasoned data leader with over 12 years of experience in top startups. This strategic move has significantly enhanced our data strategy and execution. The expert leadership has instilled confidence in our data capabilities, driving measurable results for our business.

Khadija Ali

Head of Product#paid
Khadija Ali
Working with a Fractional COO was a great way to level up our operations, guide our existing team, and overall run things in a more streamlined way. We were lucky to work with someone who had seen and built the things we needed to do before, and brought a wealth of knowledge to where we wanted to go.

David Booth

CEOOnDeck
David Booth
Partnering with Go Fractional allowed Enertiv to bring on Nate Wylie as a fractional Head of Talent streamlining the recruitment process - saving us time and cost. Nate implemented a state-of-the-art ATS, developed customized interview kits and scorecards, and reduced the time-to-fill our roles. This swift process successfully placed top-tier talent, including a Solutions Engineer, a Growth Marketer, and an Onboarding Manager. If you’re a business looking to scale rapidly with elite talent - I strongly recommend you check out Go Fractional.

Connell McGill

Founder & CEOEnertiv
Connell McGill
Hiring an executive team is critical to get right. Eric as a Fractional Operator played a key role in helping me screen, interview, and generally think through building out our executive team at ChartHop. He brought an outside perspective from someone that has done it before, and I benefited from the additional horsepower.

Ian White

Founder & CEOChartHop
Ian White
In just 5 months, working only 1 to 2 days a week, Matt Spangler made a significant impact at the Uniswap Foundation. He led customer research and crafted the foundation’s first-ever brand and marketing strategy. He designed the initial 2024 marketing budget, conducted a successful Marketing Director hiring search sourced from his network. Matt also launched an email marketing campaign strategy that achieved outstanding results, producing open and click rates +15% over the standard in our industry.

Raffi Sapire

COOUniswap Foundation
Raffi Sapire
We had a never-ending backlog of tickets and engineers to hire. We were able to go Fractional and started knocking out tickets immediately

Chris Polk

VP of EngineeringPolywork
Chris Polk
I worked with a Fractional Engineer to bring my MAD landscape project to life - we were able to brainstorm, design, and ultimately ship something great. To work with a trusted engineer brought confidence to the project, and positioned FirstMark to be able to scale this project in the future and into other verticals. I would highly recommend working with them if you need fractional talent.

Matt Turck

PartnerFirstMark
Matt Turck
Go Fractional provided Mockingbird with a founder-level engineering leader that helped us out of a huge amount of tech debt, streamlining and modernizing our entire e-commerce stack

Ross Berger

VP of OperationsMockingbird
Ross Berger
Working with Go Fractional has been an absolute pleasure. They connected us with high-quality engineering leaders and filled the role within just 12 days of our first call. After six weeks of fractional work, he joined as our permanent VP of Engineering. Go Fractional’s speed and partnership significantly boosted our team’s productivity, and we are thrilled to have filled the position seamlessly without any gaps.

Victoria Ashton

Vice President of PeopleLob
Victoria Ashton
Go Fractional provided a detailed audit of our tech stack with a prioritized list of recommendations while redesigning and launching our app to a new single codebase across all platforms

Nick Kenner

CEO & FounderJust Salad
Nick Kenner
Hiring a fractional Head of Data Science has been transformative for our company. At just 50% of the cost of a full-time data scientist, we secured a seasoned data leader with over 12 years of experience in top startups. This strategic move has significantly enhanced our data strategy and execution. The expert leadership has instilled confidence in our data capabilities, driving measurable results for our business.

Khadija Ali

Head of Product#paid
Khadija Ali
Working with a Fractional COO was a great way to level up our operations, guide our existing team, and overall run things in a more streamlined way. We were lucky to work with someone who had seen and built the things we needed to do before, and brought a wealth of knowledge to where we wanted to go.

David Booth

CEOOnDeck
David Booth
Partnering with Go Fractional allowed Enertiv to bring on Nate Wylie as a fractional Head of Talent streamlining the recruitment process - saving us time and cost. Nate implemented a state-of-the-art ATS, developed customized interview kits and scorecards, and reduced the time-to-fill our roles. This swift process successfully placed top-tier talent, including a Solutions Engineer, a Growth Marketer, and an Onboarding Manager. If you’re a business looking to scale rapidly with elite talent - I strongly recommend you check out Go Fractional.

Connell McGill

Founder & CEOEnertiv
Connell McGill
Hiring an executive team is critical to get right. Eric as a Fractional Operator played a key role in helping me screen, interview, and generally think through building out our executive team at ChartHop. He brought an outside perspective from someone that has done it before, and I benefited from the additional horsepower.

Ian White

Founder & CEOChartHop
Ian White
In just 5 months, working only 1 to 2 days a week, Matt Spangler made a significant impact at the Uniswap Foundation. He led customer research and crafted the foundation’s first-ever brand and marketing strategy. He designed the initial 2024 marketing budget, conducted a successful Marketing Director hiring search sourced from his network. Matt also launched an email marketing campaign strategy that achieved outstanding results, producing open and click rates +15% over the standard in our industry.

Raffi Sapire

COOUniswap Foundation
Raffi Sapire
We had a never-ending backlog of tickets and engineers to hire. We were able to go Fractional and started knocking out tickets immediately

Chris Polk

VP of EngineeringPolywork
Chris Polk

What’s the difference between a fractional CIO vs. full-time CIO?

Fractional CIOs and full-time CIO provide similar services, but there’s a big difference in how they deliver those services and engage with each organization.

Specifically, full-time and fractional CIOs differ according to their:

Go Fractional
Agency

Schedules

Fractional CIOs generally work on a part-time or contract basis

Full-time CIOs work with one organization at a time.

Cost

Fractional CIOs can be hired at a much lower cost.

Full-time CIOs are paid salary, benefits, and bonuses

Hiring Process

Fractional CIOs can be hired in just days

Sourcing and hiring a new full-time CIO can take months or even longer

Accessibility

Fractional CIOs can work with multiple organizations at a time and quickly step into their roles as needed

Full-time CIOs may need to be poached and fully onboarded

Flexibility

Fractional CIOs can scale their involvement for each organization’s needs

Full-time CIOs are hired to provide constant oversight and management, even when it may not be needed

When to hire a Fractional CIO

Whether you’re still building your IT operation from scratch or looking for new ways to streamline processes, there are many reasons to hire a fractional CIO.

Tell us if any of these sound familiar:

When you need leadership but not full-time

You need executive IT leadership but lack the resources for a full-time CIO.

When you need a fast CIO replacement

You need to quickly replace a full-time CIO while keeping business running smoothly.

When building or growing your IT team

You’re ready to build or develop a new IT team and need an experienced leader to help mentor and nurture your talent.

When optimizing your IT budget

You need to streamline your IT budget and find new cost-saving opportunities.

When planning long-term IT strategy

You’re looking to create an IT roadmap to fuel long-term growth and keep strategies aligned with the overall business vision.

When scaling and expanding your tech stack

You’re eager to scale and expand your tech stack but need hands-on guidance from an industry expert.

When navigating a merger or acquisition

You’re going through a major change, like a merger or acquisition, and need help integrating new technologies for a smooth transition.

When facing cybersecurity & compliance challenges

You’re struggling to keep up with changing compliance and cybersecurity measures and are looking for an IT leader to oversee this process.

When managing IT infrastructure across teams

You need an executive to manage your IT infrastructure, making sure systems are accessible, updated, and standardized across the organization.

Fractional CIO Hiring Guide

Fractional CIO Job Description Template

Coming Soon

Fractional CIO Interview Questions

Coming Soon

Fractional CIO Salary

Further Reading

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Frequently asked questions
Here are a few questions that folks just like you have had during their search.