Fractional CTO / Lead Developer — Senior Full-Stack | Project-Based

# Fractional CTO / Lead Developer — Senior Full-Stack | Project-Based We are a newly established, small software development agency looking for a **Senior Fractional CTO / Lead Developer** to collaborate with us on client projects. Please read the full description before applying, particularly the compensation and collaboration sections. ## About the Opportunity We are still an early-stage agency and have only recently started operating. This is **NOT a full-time salaried position**, and there is currently **no guaranteed weekly workload**. Work will be assigned **project by project**, with your responsibilities, expected involvement, timeline, and compensation agreed before each project begins. Because we are still small and building our client base, this opportunity is best suited to a senior developer who is comfortable with flexible project-based collaboration rather than someone seeking an expensive full-time or monthly commitment. If the agency grows and we work well together, there may be opportunities for continued collaboration on future projects. ## What We Handle Our team will handle areas such as: * Lead generation and marketing * Client outreach and business development * UI/UX design * Business operations * Initial project organization * Development support * AI-assisted/vibe coding where appropriate We need you primarily for **technical leadership and full-stack engineering**. ## Your Responsibilities You may be responsible for: * Leading full-stack development on client projects * Designing client system architecture from scratch when required * Solving real-world client problems through practical software solutions * Evaluating technical feasibility * Recommending appropriate technologies and architecture * Translating business requirements into technical solutions * Building backend and frontend functionality * Designing APIs and integrations * Reviewing and improving code * Identifying security, scalability, performance, and maintainability concerns * Helping estimate technical scope and complexity * Joining client discovery and technical meetings when required * Answering technical questions from clients * Collaborating with junior and intermediate developers * Reviewing AI-assisted/vibe-coded implementations * Mentoring team members and explaining better engineering approaches You should be comfortable discussing technical matters with both technical and non-technical people. For example, a client might ask: * Can this integrate with our existing software? * Which architecture should we use? * How should authentication and permissions work? * Should we create an API? * Which database should we use? * How should this system scale? * Is the client's requested feature technically realistic? You should be able to answer questions like these clearly and practically without unnecessarily complicating the solution. ## Technologies Our projects may involve technologies including: **Backend** * Node.js * Express.js * TypeScript * Ts.ED * Python / Django * Flask * PHP / Laravel * Ruby on Rails * Java / Spring Boot * C# / .NET / ASP.NET Core **Frontend** * React * Next.js * JavaScript * TypeScript * jQuery * HTML/CSS **Database / ORM** * PostgreSQL * MySQL * MongoDB * Prisma You **DO NOT need to be an expert in every technology listed above**. We care more about strong software-engineering fundamentals, architecture knowledge, problem-solving ability, and your ability to understand unfamiliar technologies when necessary. ## Leadership Without Ego This is extremely important. You may work alongside: * Junior developers * Intermediate developers * Developers using AI-assisted/vibe-coding workflows * UI/UX designers * Business-development team members * Other technical collaborators We are **not looking for someone who wants to work alone or control everything**. Being the most experienced developer on the team does not mean simply replacing another developer's work. We expect you to: **Teach. Explain. Review. Guide. Collaborate.** If a junior developer makes a poor technical decision, we want you to explain what is wrong, why it matters, and how it can be improved. If you are technically excellent but cannot work respectfully and constructively with less-experienced developers, this collaboration will not be a good fit. We value **humility, communication, reliability, and leadership over ego or self-promotion**. ## Client Communication You may participate directly in client meetings as our technical representative. However, **all client relationships and commercial communication remain managed through the agency**. You must not independently solicit, negotiate with, accept work from, or attempt to bypass the agency to work directly with an agency client. Technical communication with clients should occur through the agreed agency/project communication process. Unauthorized client solicitation or circumvention would result in termination of the collaboration. ## Selection Process We will **not choose someone simply because they have the largest portfolio, longest CV, or longest list of technologies**. Shortlisted candidates may instead be invited to complete a **small POC (Proof of Concept) or practical technical exercise**. The POC may evaluate: * Problem-solving * Code structure * Architecture decisions * Technical reasoning * Code-review ability * Communication * Collaboration * Ability to explain decisions * Ability to work with junior developers * Ability to evaluate AI-assisted code * Responsiveness and reliability The exact POC scope, expectations, and compensation will be discussed before it begins. ## Compensation This is currently **project-based work**. There is no guaranteed full-time workload or monthly salary. For each client project, we will agree in advance on: * Your responsibilities * Deliverables * Expected involvement * Timeline * Project fee/payment structure As the agency develops a larger and more consistent client base, the amount of available work may increase. ## Who We're Looking For This opportunity may suit you if you: * Have substantial professional software-development experience * Have worked as a Senior Developer, Tech Lead, Lead Developer, Architect, or CTO * Can design software architecture * Are still willing to write code yourself * Have client-facing technical experience * Can turn business problems into software solutions * Enjoy mentoring developers * Can review code constructively * Can lead without micromanaging * Are comfortable working with AI-assisted development workflows * Are interested in growing alongside a small software agency * Are comfortable with project-based rather than guaranteed full-time work ## When Applying, Please Answer Please answer the following instead of sending only a generic proposal: 1. How many years of professional software-development experience do you have? 2. Which backend technologies are you strongest in? 3. Which frontend technologies are you strongest in? 4. Have you worked as a Tech Lead, Lead Developer, Architect, or CTO? 5. Have you participated in client discovery or technical-requirement meetings? 6. Give one example of a difficult technical concept you had to explain to a non-technical client. 7. Have you mentored junior developers or reviewed their code? 8. Are you comfortable reviewing and collaborating on AI-assisted/vibe-coded implementations? 9. Are you comfortable with project-based compensation and no guaranteed weekly workload? 10. What country/time zone are you based in? 11. Please share your GitHub, LinkedIn, or portfolio if available. And most importantly: **Suppose a junior developer builds something that works, but the architecture and code quality are poor. How would you handle the situation?** We're looking for someone who can **lead, build, architect, solve client problems, teach, and collaborate — without ego.**