Chief Technology Officer
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Meet FRATCH Chief Technology Officer
Robert A.
Last position:
Chief Product & Technology Officer (CTPO) at Facelift
- Lead Facelift's technology and product-engineering agenda, including product strategy, roadmap governance, architecture and delivery effectiveness.
- Represent Facelift in Entirely CTO, portfolio-review and combined-solutions forums, helping shape cross-hub priorities, investment choices and shared capabilities.
- Drive AI-enabled product development, analytics and data initiatives, platform modernisation and partner integrations across the product estate.
- Partner across Facelift's C-team, sales, customer success, finance, people and legal stakeholders on product investment, major customer issues, operating priorities and risk.
Mario M.
Last position:
Co-Founder and CTO at B2B SaaS Recruiting Platform
Complete build of a B2B SaaS platform for recruitment agencies
- Multi-source job aggregation via ATS APIs
- AI-assisted career page scraping
- Rule-based and AI-assisted matching
- Credit-based monetization model with Stripe integration
- Live in production since July 2026
Tech stack
- NestJS
- React
- PostgreSQL
- pgvector
- Claude AI
- Prisma
Bertram D.
Last position:
CISO at Suva Kliniken
- Developed and implemented the IT security strategy in line with ISO/IEC 27001/27002, including risk assessments and security roadmap planning
- Led the implementation of a centralized 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC)
- Established and delivered security awareness and training programs
- Provided strategic security advice and governance support for enterprise-wide IT transformation initiatives
Joerg S.
Last position:
Various short-term CTO, Enterprise Architecture Advisory for companies at various
Support for Transformation Projects:
- Expert CTO advisory and enterprise architecture consulting for several short-term transformation projects, ensuring measurable improvements in project outcomes and technical business alignment.
- Supporting strategic IT initiatives for diverse clients, driving digital transformation and optimizing technology operations to increase business value and operational efficiency.
Tobias F.
Last position:
CTO & Founder at bitminds
Selected projects:
Kiosk platform – Hospitality
- Led a 3-person team while taking a hands-on role in designing an edge computing infrastructure for over 15 self-service kiosks in Alpine hotels with unstable connectivity
- Designed a Nomad-based cluster with a Wireguard mesh network for fully automated OTA updates, even during local network outages and offline operation
- Integrated physical peripherals (hotel card readers, thermal printers) into a containerized deployment pipeline
- Reduced on-site maintenance visits by ∼40% with a resilient offline-first architecture and Prometheus-based hardware monitoring
- Tech: Nomad, Consul, Wireguard, NestJS, NextJS, Prometheus, Custom Hardware Provisioning
Multi-tenant SaaS platform – Insurance claims management
- Built and operated the Kubernetes infrastructure for a market-leading claims management platform (acquired by an S&P 500 company) — with strict compliance and availability requirements
- Designed a multi-tenant EKS cluster with tenant isolation, enabling cost-effective single-instance hosting for multiple customers
- Introduced dynamic spot instance node pools, reducing infrastructure costs by ∼20%
- Built fully automated deployment pipelines (Terraform + GitHub Actions) for uninterrupted releases during business hours
- Tech: EKS, Terraform, GitHub Actions, Prometheus/Grafana/Loki, PHP, GraphQL
Legacy ERP integration – Construction photo documentation
- Led a 2-person team in designing and building a real-time sync bridge between a legacy Microsoft Access ERP system (without an API) and a modern mobile photo app for construction quality control
- Developed a PostgreSQL pipeline with real-time listeners that extracts data from 1990s Access databases without disrupting existing workflows
- Built a resilient upload architecture using the circuit breaker pattern for unstable construction site connections (S3, NFS, Synology NAS)
- Saved 2–4 hours per week for each project manager through automated photo sync instead of manual USB/SD card transfers
- Tech: NestJS, PostgreSQL, React Native (Expo), S3, Synology API, Offline-First Architecture
Frank G.
Last position:
Agile Coach and Program Manager at Centris AG
The insurance application service provider in Switzerland intended to develop a multi-channel output system to support their customers on their digital enhancement journey.
- Established an Agile Release Train based on SAFe 6.0
- Trained all ART leadership
- Coached the development of the solution intent
- Established 5 teams in the ART. Developed the Epic and Feature Backlog for the team.
- Planned and coached 2 PI planning sessions
The insurance application service provider in Switzerland intended to transform their claims management BPO and IT team into an agile delivery organization.
- Established an Agile Release Train based on SAFe 6.0
- Trained all ART leadership
- Coached the development of the solution intent
- Established 2 teams in an ART.
- Developed the Epic and Feature Backlog for the team.
- Planned and coached 2 PI planning sessions
Stephan S.
Last position:
Co-Founder at Ultrathink.club
Think tank on AI
Bernhard K.
Last position:
AI Consultant at Bitpanda
- Advising on AI strategy and implementation for one of Europe's leading digital asset platforms
- Helping teams integrate agentic AI workflows, optimize developer productivity through AI-assisted tooling, and evaluate emerging AI technologies for fintech applications
Mike B.
Last position:
Freelance UX-Researcher, Designer at Bodensee Schiffsbetriebe; Labhard-Medien
- UX research, UX concept development, and UX design for an AI dialogue system with information on events, locations, public transport timetables, and special trips. Observations, remote user tests, session recordings, analytics evaluations, RapidUserTests, prototyping, etc., using Figma/Figma Make, Claude Design, and OpenAI Codex (Design)
Markus R.
Last position:
Founding at Redelstab Advisory
- Restructuring & interim management: Leading and stabilizing R&D organizations during periods of change and growth, particularly during strategic realignment, M&A or to bridge leadership vacancies
- R&D operating models: Assessing and redesigning devel...
Martin R.
Last position:
Interim CTO at optiserv GmbH / optiflow-pmc GmbH
- Took over CTO responsibilities in a technology company with approximately 50 employees after majority acquisition by a new investor
- Turned around product development by defining and focusing on product strategy and goals
- Prioritized projects by business value and reduced the number of parallel development projects
- Introduced critical chain project management (CCPM) and portfolio management methodologies
Christoph P.
Last position:
ICT DevSecOps Engineer & Security Coordinator at Abraxas Informatik AG
- Interface role with the SOC team; improved incident response time by 45% through structured escalation processes and proactive security monitoring.
- Defined technical standards for a multi-tenant enterprise platform (10+ services), resulting in a 30% shorter onboarding time for new clients in the public sector.
- Active knowledge transfer and mentoring of a 6-person team; increased team autonomy and established a sustainable engineering culture.
- Reduced time to market by 50% by optimizing CI/CD pipelines and establishing self-service deployments.
- Stack: GitLab CI/CD, Kubernetes, Nexus, Harbor, ArgoCD, HashiCorp Vault, Grafana, Python, PostgreSQL, Java, Spring Boot, Flyway, Quarkus, JBoss, Loki, Go, Kafka, Kustomize, MongoDB
Mario S.
Last position:
Interim CTO
Through Sourcegarden GmbH, ongoing engagement. Transitioning software development to agentic development in phases, from setup and pilots through transformation and handover.
Jörg Benedikt S.
Last position:
Founder & Managing Director at Schenker Labs GmbH
Applications development & consulting - Schenkerlabs.com
Dirk R.
Last position:
Chief Technology Officer at HYPE Softwaretechnik GmbH
Member of the leadership team
40 people across several international sites in my teams.
Technical ownership of the shareholder's buy-and-build strategy: assessment of target companies and their subsequent integration.
Platform, cloud infrastructure, information security and the engineering organisation.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Chief Technology Officer statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
22 years
Position duration
2.9 years
Positions per freelancer
12
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Banking and Finance
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development
Bachelor's degree or higher
93%
Master's degree or higher
62%
Doctorate
13%
Certifications per freelancer
2
Most common languages
English, German, French
Speak two or more languages
97%
Based on our profile pool as of 13 Nov 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.
Average rates for Chief Technology Officer
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 13 Nov 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Chief Technology Officer experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (92%)
- Professional Services (51%)
- Banking and Finance (50%)
- Automotive (38%)
- Manufacturing (37%)
- Retail (36%)
- Healthcare (33%)
- Media and Entertainment (33%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the role
What a CTO does
A freelance Chief Technology Officer sets the technical direction and keeps it tied to business goals. They translate product plans into architecture, guide engineering teams, and make sure delivery choices support scale, security, and maintainability.
- Define tech strategy and roadmap
- Review architecture and platform choices
- Lead or coach engineering teams
- Align product, operations, and delivery
- Support hiring, vendor selection, and technical due diligence
Typical engagements
Companies bring in a CTO when they need senior technology leadership without adding a permanent executive too early. This is common in startups building their first product, scale-ups facing technical debt, and established companies modernizing old systems or launching a new digital service.
A freelance CTO is also useful during fundraising, M&A preparation, outsourcing transitions, and periods where the internal tech lead is overloaded. In these situations, the role must combine strategy, hands-on decision making, and calm delivery control.
Skills and tools
A strong CTO understands software architecture, cloud platforms, security basics, DevOps, data flow, and team structure. They should be able to work with product managers, backend and frontend engineers, QA, and infrastructure specialists without losing sight of business impact.
- Architecture reviews for web, mobile, and platform products
- Cloud and infrastructure decisions across AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Delivery planning with agile teams and technical leads
- Security, reliability, and maintainability checks
- Vendor and technology stack evaluation
What strong CTOs deliver
The best freelance CTOs do more than advise from the side. They create clear decisions, remove technical risk, and leave the team with a structure it can actually run.
They write down priorities, simplify the stack where needed, and spot where speed is being lost through weak architecture or unclear ownership. They also know when to stay hands-on and when to step back so the internal team can take over cleanly.
In the right setup, a CTO can work remote, on-site, or in a hybrid model. For leadership workshops, board-level alignment, or deep system reviews, in-person sessions often help. For roadmap work, architecture input, and team coaching, remote collaboration is usually enough.
Frequently asked questions
Curious about Chief Technology Officer? Here are the answers that come up again and again.
A freelance Chief Technology Officer sets the technology direction and helps the company turn it into delivery. That can include architecture decisions, team structure, tool selection, risk management, and alignment with product or leadership goals. In many cases, the role is part strategist, part technical reviewer, and part team coach.
A freelance CTO makes sense when the company needs senior guidance, but not a full-time executive yet. This often happens during a new product launch, a cloud migration, rapid growth, or when the existing team lacks a clear technical leader. It is also useful when the business needs an outside view on whether the current setup can scale.
A CTO works at a broader level than a tech lead or software architect. A tech lead focuses more on team execution and code quality, while an architect is usually centered on system design. The CTO connects those decisions to business strategy, hiring, delivery, and long-term platform health.
A strong CTO combines technical depth with leadership and clear judgment. They should understand architecture, cloud, security, DevOps, delivery processes, and how to work with product and business stakeholders. Good communication matters just as much as technical knowledge, because the job often involves turning complex trade-offs into simple decisions.
A freelance CTO may deliver a technology roadmap, architecture review, team structure proposal, hiring guidance, or a plan to reduce technical debt. They may also support due diligence, vendor selection, and leadership workshops. The exact output depends on whether the company needs strategy, rescue work, or hands-on oversight.
Often yes, especially for roadmap work, architecture review, and coaching internal teams. But some situations benefit from on-site presence, such as leadership alignment, difficult technical assessments, or periods of major change. The right setup depends on how much context the CTO needs and how close they must be to the team.
Look for clear examples of decisions they made and the results those decisions created. A good Chief Technology Officer can explain how they balanced speed, quality, cost, and risk without hiding behind jargon. Ask how they handled technical debt, team conflicts, and product pressure in past roles.
Yes, many companies use a Chief Technology Officer in that way, especially when leadership needs to be covered quickly. The exact scope should be clear from the start: some engagements are strategic, while others include direct management of engineering leads and delivery routines. The best setup depends on the maturity of the team and how much internal leadership is already in place.
The average hourly rate for Chief Technology Officer is 129 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,029 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Chief Technology Officer, 93% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 62% hold at least a Master's degree, and 13% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Chief Technology Officer have 22 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.9 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Chief Technology Officer are English (97%), German (96%), and French (22%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Chief Technology Officer are Information Technology (92%), Professional Services (51%), and Banking and Finance (50%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Chief Technology Officer are Information Technology (96%), Product Development (94%), and Project Management (71%).
FRATCH Chief Technology Officer main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home all over Germany — available on-site in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and every major business hub, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin 
Hamburg 
Munich 
Cologne 
Frankfurt In Austria our freelancers and interim experts support companies from Vienna to Graz — on-site where your project needs them, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Vienna Graz 
Zurich Countries:
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We always have the time for a call or email!
Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
