👑 CTO (CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER) (M/F)

The CTO (Chief Technology Officer) defines and drives the company’s technology strategy: architecture decisions, recruitment and management of tech teams, security, budgeting, and aligning technology with business objectives. The scope of the role varies greatly depending on the company’s size: very hands-on in a startup, and highly strategic in a scale-up and a large corporation.

🎯 Tasks

• Define the vision and technical strategy aligned with the company's strategic direction.
• Organize, recruit, and grow engineering teams.
• Balancing architecture, technical debt, build vs. buy, security, and compliance.
• Manage the tech budget (team, cloud, tools) and the technical roadmap.
• Integrate AI effectively into the product and team practices.
• Represent the tech team to the board, investors, and clients.

🛠️ Key Skills 2026

• Strong engineering background and technical credibility (architecture, cloud, security).
• Leadership and management: recruitment, team organization, culture engineering.
• Product and Business Vision: Technology Driving Value.
• Key Challenges for 2026: Generative AI, cybersecurity (NIS2), scalability, cloud costs.
• Communication with non-technical stakeholders (board, investors).

💰 2026 Salaries (as reported in France)

• Early-stage startup: 80–110 k€ + significant equity
• Scale-up: 110–160 k€ + equity
• Large group / established company: 130–180 k€ and up, depending on the scope of operations
• Interim CTO (freelance): Average daily rate of €900–1,500.

🔍 Not to be confused with

The VP of Engineering (operational excellence and team management) and the CIO (internal information systems): The CTO leverages technology as a product and strategic driver.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does a CTO still need to code? In a startup, yes, definitely; once the team exceeds 15–20 engineers, their impact comes through architecture, organization, and recruitment.

How do you hire a good CTO? By evaluating the three key factors: technical vision, the ability to recruit and grow a team, and alignment with the founders—qualities rarely found in a purely technical expert.

📈 Trends

CTO of larger organizations, CPTO, entrepreneurship, advisory roles, and board member.