Fractional Chief Technology Officer

Role overview

Provide senior, hands-on technology leadership to a fast-growing, multi-channel e-commerce business on a fractional contract basis. Over an initial six- to twelve-month engagement, you will shape the technology roadmap, guide an existing engineering team, and improve the reliability and scalability of the systems supporting direct-to-consumer, marketplace, social-commerce, and retail operations.

Responsibilities

- Own the technology strategy, roadmap, and architecture, aligning investment decisions with commercial growth and operational needs. - Evaluate technology options and ensure systems meet appropriate standards for scalability, security, performance, and reliability. - Lead the engineering team day to day by setting priorities, delivery expectations, success measures, and a culture of ownership. - Assess capability gaps and make hiring recommendations as the technology organization evolves. - Oversee a multi-store Shopify environment, including integrations, applications, checkout experiences, and operational improvements. - Manage connections with order tracking, upsell and downsell workflows, fulfillment or retail systems, and other third-party platforms across sales channels.

Requirements

- Previous experience as a CTO, VP of Engineering, or equivalent senior technology leader. - Deep practical experience with Shopify and e-commerce technology stacks operating at meaningful scale. - A record of building, managing, and scaling engineering teams while remaining comfortable with hands-on technical review. - Experience supporting multiple commerce channels such as direct-to-consumer, Amazon, TikTok Shop, or retail integrations. - Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical specialists and business leadership. - Based in the United States or Canada and able to work in a flexible fractional arrangement of approximately 10–20 hours per week.

Nice to have

- Previous fractional or advisory technology leadership experience. - Familiarity with direct-response television operations, high-growth direct-to-consumer businesses, third-party logistics, fulfillment technology, or supply-chain systems.

Benefits and work setup

This is a remote contract engagement for an estimated six to twelve months, with flexible weekly hours. Applicants are asked to describe availability, preferred engagement structure, start timing, and compensation expectations.