Fractional executive services in technology

Some technology decisions need senior judgment before the company is ready to commit to a full-time hire. Fractional engagements give companies access to that judgment on a defined monthly cadence.

Our fractional practice covers Fractional CTO, CIO, CISO, and Chief AI Officer engagements. The fractional leaders we place are run by a dedicated team that stays close from first conversation through the renewal or wrap-up of the engagement.

11 years of placing senior tech leadership across the US.
90 days
Replacement guarantee, no additional cost
Monthly retainer
Scoped cadence, scalable as the engagement evolves
3 to 5 days
‍To first candidates
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Trusted by leading companies

What clients say

Tecla is organized and provides a strong partnership experience. From hiring multiple engineers within weeks to maintaining consistent communication and feedback, they've shown real professionalism. Their follow-up and collaboration made the entire staffing process efficient and enjoyable.

Kristen Marcoe

Director @ Credo AI

I’m very happy with Tecla. Their support has improved our QA process, reduced bug reports by half, and made our onboarding process twice as fast. The team is responsive, cost-effective, and delivers high-quality candidates on time. Tecla has truly become a trusted extension of our internal hiring team.

Meit Shah

Principal PM @ Stash

It was a pleasure working with Tecla. Their team quickly understood our hiring needs and found candidates that matched our technical requirements perfectly. Communication was seamless, and they were always quick to respond and deliver results. Tecla’s attention to quality made the entire experience smooth and efficient.

Mayya Bozhilova

Manager @ Three Space Lab

Tecla successfully found candidates for our team and handled the entire process from scheduling to interviews. They were timely, responsive, and always kept communication flowing through email and messaging apps. I was really impressed with Tecla’s follow-up and thoroughness throughout the process.

Jessica Warren

Head of People @ Chowly

Tecla's business model and team set our company up with engineers that we have the real possibility of working with long-term and can grow with our business. Tecla came in highly recommended, and their pace from introduction to engagement to presenting candidates was very fast.

David Bradley

Founder @ QPilot

Internally, we're moving much faster than we were without the remote engineers Tecla recruited for us and we've been able to implement far more features. Once we brought on our first full-time designer in South America, it made the quality of our user interface, product, and marketing efforts increase substantially.

Drew Batshaw

CTO @ Waggl

When we started our recruiting initiatives for LATAM developers, it was crucial for us to rely on a company that could provide deep local expertise to help us identify the best software developers in Latin America. The teams at Tecla really go the extra mile to understand our needs, which is what has made our partnership so successful!

Douglas Santos

Lead Tech Recruiter @ HomeLight
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Where fractional fits

Fractional engagements take different shapes depending on what the company is solving for. Three cases where the model carries its weight.

The founding stage

Strong vision, no technical co-founder yet
A pre-seed founder needs technical credibility before the seed round closes. A Fractional CTO sits with the founder two days a week, scopes the MVP, and runs technical diligence calls with investors.

The compliance milestone

Audit prep ahead of an enterprise deal
A Series B company moving from SOC 2 to ISO 27001. The existing security lead is overloaded. A Fractional CISO owns the audit prep for six months, then hands off cleanly.

Still figuring out the shape

Not sure yet if it's a CTO, VP Engineering, or CIO
Sometimes the right move is testing the shape of the role before committing. A fractional engagement lets the company find out which kind of leader the next chapter actually needs.

Engagements we run

The pool of senior tech leaders open to fractional engagements is smaller than the full-time market, and the standards are higher. The work has to be real, the cadence has to be respected, and the executive has to be the right fit on a part-time basis.

Featured roles

Fractional CTO

Senior technology leadership on a defined monthly cadence. Strategy, architecture, and engineering hiring for companies between seed and Series B.

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Fractional CIO

IT strategy, vendor management, and operational technology leadership for mid-market companies hitting compliance or scaling thresholds.

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Fractional Chief AI Officer

AI strategy, model selection, and applied research leadership for companies building AI capability without committing to a full-time CAIO yet.

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Fractional CISO

Security leadership, compliance ownership, and risk frameworks for companies between 50 and 500 employees with real compliance surface area.

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Other roles

Sectors we know well

A great CTO for a fintech is rarely the same person who would thrive at a semiconductor company. From AI transformation to security posture, executive talent moves with the context. 11 years of building talent pools tells us what fits where.

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SaaS & Enterprise

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Fintech

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AI & Machine Learning

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HealthTech

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Cybersecurity

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E-commerce & Retail

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EdTech

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Logistics & Supply Chain

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Energy Tech

How the engagement runs

A Tecla fractional engagement runs as one continuous relationship from scoping through renewal. Six stages, with the last two designed to do what most fractional marketplaces leave to the client.

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1

Engagement scoping

We map the function, the cadence the company actually needs, and the seniority profile that fits the stage and the problem set.

2

Profile match

We work a curated network of senior executives open to fractional engagements, prioritizing fit over availability.

3

Intro calls

Three to four senior candidates introduced for direct conversations. Both sides assess fit, scope alignment, and chemistry before committing.

4

Embedding

Onboarding the fractional executive into the team's tools, rituals, and decision-making cadence. Done right, the engagement starts producing value within the first 30 days.

Where most marketplaces stop

Our engagement continues past the match. The next two stages are built into every fractional placement.

5

Monthly cadence

Monthly reviews between client, executive, and Tecla. Scope adjustments, deliverable tracking, and feedback loops that keep the engagement aligned with the business.

6

Renewal or wrap-up

Engagements are designed to evolve. Renew at the same cadence, expand the scope, scale down, or conclude with a clear handoff. The decision belongs to the work, not to a calendar.

The two people you'll work with

Most of what determines whether a fractional engagement works is who stays close to it over time. We assign two dedicated people to the engagement and keep them in place from scoping through renewal.

Account Manager

Owns the engagement until the fractional executive embeds. Understands the scope, presents the candidates, and stays the same person from scoping through onboarding.

Success Manager

Owns the relationship after embedding. Monthly cadence, scope evolution, renewal conversations, and the operational layer of the engagement over time.

Fractional works when the engagement is built to evolve.
Our monthly cadence keeps the scope honest as the company changes.
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Start the engagement

The fee model says a lot about who the search firm is working for. Most are structured to close the deal. Ours is structured around the deal sticking. Here's how the three common approaches compare.

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Beyond fractional

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Frequently asked questions

How long does a technology executive search take with Tecla?

First candidates are presented within 3 to 5 business days. Full technology executive search timelines depend on role seniority and scope, but the targeted shortlist is typically delivered within the first two weeks. The executive recruiting process is run by a dedicated team for the duration of the engagement.

What roles do tech executive search firms like Tecla typically place?

Chief Technology Officer (CTO), CIO, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief AI Officer, Chief Data Officer, VP of Engineering, VP of Product, Head of Data, Head of Machine Learning, and other senior technology leadership roles across software, artificial intelligence, fintech, and cybersecurity. Our information technology executive search practice covers all of these.

How is Tecla different from other technology executive search firms?

Most retained search firms charge upfront fees and end accountability at signing. Tecla bills only on placement, includes a 90-day replacement guarantee, and stays available through the same network when the team around the new leader grows. As a leading executive search firm in technology, our practice runs across the US and Latin America under one network.

Does the 90-day replacement guarantee apply to executive search placements?

Yes. If the placement does not work within the first 90 days, we replace the hire at no additional cost from the same talent pool. The guarantee is standard across every engagement, including C-suite placements where finding top talent the second time around can take longer than the first.

Can Tecla help build the team around the executive we hire?

If you choose to, yes. After a chief technology officer executive search or any other senior leaders placement, the same network of executive talent can support staff augmentation, dedicated squads, or simply an introduction. Many clients use it that way, but it's never imposed as a condition of the search.

What does executive search cost compared to other top IT executive search firms?

Our pricing is all-inclusive, with no upfront fees, no fees to start a search, and no charges for interviews. Clients are billed only on placement. Most technology executive search firms typically charge 25 to 35% of first-year compensation, paid in stages before the candidate signs.

Where does Tecla operate?

One network across the US and 18+ Latin American countries. IT executive search and tech executive search services run anywhere in the US and across LATAM through the same process, with access to top performers across both regions.

How does Tecla help companies attract and retain senior technology talent?

The combination of a dedicated team, a 90-day guarantee, and a network of senior executives who are not actively looking is what helps clients attract and retain technology leadership. We screen for cultural fit and long-term alignment, not just immediate availability, which is where most executive searches lose their value over time.

Does Tecla focus on tech executive search specifically?

Yes. Our executive search IT practice is focused on senior technology officer roles: CTO, VP Engineering, Chief AI Officer, CISO, CIO, Chief Data Officer, and other technical C-suite and VP-level roles. We orient every engagement toward long-term leadership success, not just the placement itself. Non-tech executive searches are not part of the practice.

Have any questions?
Schedule a call to discuss in more detail.
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