roles
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Primary Role:
Executive accountable for company-wide technology vision
Reporting Relations:
Reports to CEO; board-facing
Decision Making Authority:
Enterprise technology authority
Stratigic Planning
Defines long-term tech vision + innovation
Team Management:
Leads VP/Head of Eng
Meeting Involvment:
Executive + board leadership
Project Management:
Oversees major technical bets, M&A diligence
Communication:
External representation + investor narrative
Professional Development:
→ CEO
Head of Engineering
Primary Role:
Top engineering leader (often in startup)
Reporting Relations:
Reports to CEO
Decision Making Authority:
Final say on technical direction
Stratigic Planning
Owns engineering strategy
Team Management:
Manages EMs/Directors
Meeting Involvment:
Executive team member
Project Management:
Oversees full engineering roadmap
Communication:
Board/investor communication
Professional Development:
→ VP / CTO
Solutions Architect
Primary Role:
Designs technical solutions for customers or enterprise clients
Reporting Relations:
Reports to Eng/CTO/Sales Eng
Decision Making Authority:
Technical design authority for implementations
Stratigic Planning
Limited internal strategy; supports GTM strategy
Team Management:
None
Meeting Involvment:
Client meetings + pre-sales calls
Project Management:
Oversees solution implementation
Communication:
Customer + sales communication
Professional Development:
→ Principal Architect