Updated September 2026
A strong startup CTO job description names the technical decisions the hire will own in year one, says how much of the week is hands-on code versus hiring and managing, and is clear about the company's stage. It lists outcomes rather than duties, keeps must-haves to six or fewer, and shows the salary and equity ranges up front.
Copy-and-paste CTO job description
About [Company]
[Company] builds [one sentence on the product] for [who the customer is]. We raised [round] from [investors] in [month, year]. The team is [number] people, [number] of them engineers.
The role
We're hiring a CTO to own our technology and engineering team as we go from [where you are now] to [next milestone]. You'll report to [CEO name] and spend about [X]% of your time writing code in year one. [If relevant: this is a co-founder level role with equity to match.]
What you'll do in your first 6 months
- Review the current architecture and decide, in writing, what we keep, rebuild or retire before [milestone].
- Hire [number] engineers, starting with a [role], and set up an interview process the team can run without you.
- Ship [specific product milestone] by [month].
- Own the technical side of our [Series A / Series B] raise, including technical due diligence.
- Agree with [CEO name] how product decisions are made and who has the final call.
What you'll bring
- You've built and shipped a product that paying customers used, and you still enjoy writing code.
- Hands-on experience with [core stack].
- You've hired engineers and kept them.
- You've made architecture calls under time and cash pressure, and can explain them to a non-technical co-founder.
- Working knowledge of [security or compliance need, e.g. SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA] if it applies to us.
- You've worked in a company of [X to Y] people.
Nice to have
- Experience in [industry or domain].
- You've been through a fundraise or a technical due diligence process.
- [Specific depth, e.g. payments or data infrastructure].
What we offer
- Salary: [£/$/€ X to Y], depending on experience.
- Equity: [X% to Y%] in [options / shares], [vesting schedule].
- [Remote / hybrid, X days a week in City].
- Stage: [Seed / Series A / Series B] with [number] months of runway. [Benefits].
Prefer to start from rough notes? The free job description builder drafts one in minutes, and our CTO interview questions map to the scorecard further down this page.
"Own the technical vision and drive engineering excellence."
"10+ years with modern tech stacks."
"Competitive salary and equity."
"Decide by [month] whether we split billing out of the monolith, and write down why."
"You've shipped a product paying customers used, and hired at least [number] engineers."
"[£/$/€ X to Y] salary and [X% to Y%] equity, four-year vesting."
How a CTO job description changes by stage
Write for the stage you're at now, then say how the role will grow.
| Seed | Series A | Series B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hands-on code | Most of the week | Around half, falling | Mostly code review and design |
| Team to lead | A few engineers, often contractors | A growing team, first team lead | Several teams with managers |
| Top priority | Ship and keep the product running | Hiring and a repeatable delivery process | Scale, security reviews, org design |
| Investor role | Supports the CEO in pitches | Leads technical due diligence | Reports on engineering to the board |
| Title to consider | Lead developer, unless a co-founder | CTO | CTO, often with a VP Engineering running delivery |
Equity falls with each round, and co-founder CTOs sit in a different bracket. Benchmark against current data for your market.
Scorecard: how you'll judge success
Write the scorecard before the JD goes live, and make every interview question test one row. It stops a strong talker winning on charm.
| Outcome | What good looks like at 12 months | How you'll test it in interviews |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture decisions | Major decisions written down with reasons; the stack supports [milestone] without a rewrite | Review of your real system; ask about a decision they reversed |
| Hiring | [Number] engineers hired and still here; the team runs interviews | Walk through their last three hires and one mis-hire |
| Delivery | Milestones hit and a release rhythm the CEO can plan around | Ask what they cut the last time a date slipped |
| Investor work | Led technical due diligence for the next round | Have them explain your architecture to a mock investor |
| Founder partnership | A clear split of decisions with the CEO, disagreements settled quickly | Reference call with a former CEO they worked for |
30-60-90 day plan
| Days | Focus | By the end they should have |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 30 | Listen: read the code, meet every engineer, join five customer calls | A written assessment of the architecture and team, with the top five risks |
| 31 to 60 | Decide: agree priorities with the CEO, open the first roles, fix the worst risk | A two-quarter technical roadmap, a hiring plan and an interview loop |
| 61 to 90 | Deliver: ship the first milestone and get the first hire to offer stage | A milestone live and the few engineering numbers they will report monthly |
Mistakes founders make in CTO job descriptions
Writing a VP Engineering job and calling it CTO. Running sprints and managing people while you set direction is a different hire. See lead developer vs CTO covers where the lines sit.
Hiding the code split. The best candidates decide in a few lines whether this is a builder's job or a manager's job. Put a rough percentage in the role section so they can self-select.
Leaving decision rights vague. Early CTO hires fail on the founder relationship more often than on skill. Say who owns the roadmap and who breaks a tie.
Copying big-company must-haves. "Managed 50+ engineers" filters out the person who took a product from zero to its first customers.
Where Funded.club fits
We've helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D across North America, Europe and APAC, including engineering leadership hires. Funded.club agrees a low fixed fee upfront, averaging 6 to 9% of salary, from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire (see pricing).
One dedicated recruiter runs the search end to end, with first screened candidates within 7 days. If we don't deliver a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim the advance back in full. For the full process, read our guide on how to hire a CTO for a startup.
Frequently asked questions
Should a startup CTO job description include salary and equity?
Yes. Senior engineers skip listings that say "competitive". Give salary and equity ranges, and say whether the role is co-founder level.
What is the difference between a CTO and a VP Engineering job description?
A CTO job description centres on technical direction, architecture and investors. A VP Engineering one centres on delivery, process and managing engineers.
Do I need a CTO at Seed stage?
Only if you need someone to own technical direction and share the founder load. If you need a strong engineer to build and lead a few others, hire a lead developer.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.
Hiring after a funding round?
First candidates in 7 days. Fixed-fee, no commission.