Principal Engineer / CTO (Fractional, U.S. Only)

Long-term fractional opportunity (approximately 5–10 hours per week) with a flexible schedule. U.S.-based candidates only. We're looking for an exceptional engineering leader who enjoys building trusted relationships, solving complex business challenges, and guiding organizations toward better technology decisions. This is not a traditional software engineering role or a management consulting position. Your role is to build trusted relationships, understand complex business challenges, apply sound engineering judgment, and guide prospective clients toward successful engineering engagements. WHAT YOU'LL DO • Help identify and develop new engineering opportunities. • Build trusted relationships with prospective clients. • Lead technical discovery and solution discussions. • Recommend practical engineering strategies and solutions for complex business challenges. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS • You currently serve-or have recently served-in a senior technical leadership role, such as Principal Engineer, CTO, VP Engineering, Distinguished Engineer, Staff Engineer, or an equivalent position. • You have relatively recent hands-on engineering experience and a strong understanding of modern software engineering, AI, cloud, data, systems architecture, or related technologies. • You have deep engineering expertise demonstrated through designing, building, or delivering complex software, AI, cloud, data, infrastructure, or distributed systems. • You have strong scientific foundations and/or meaningful industry domain knowledge. • You can translate complex business challenges into practical engineering strategies and solutions, supported by strong systems thinking and solution architecture skills. • You hold a Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or another relevant technical discipline. • You communicate at a native or bilingual English level, both verbally and in writing. NICE TO HAVE • Master's or Ph.D. in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or another relevant technical discipline. • Professional certifications in engineering, AI, cloud, security, architecture, or related disciplines. • Publications, patents, conference presentations, technical talks, or other recognized technical achievements. • Open-source contributions. • University teaching, lecturing, mentoring, or research experience. • Active membership or regular participation in professional engineering or scientific organizations. ABOUT US We're a remote-first, globally distributed engineering company that helps organizations solve complex business and technology challenges through software engineering, AI, cloud infrastructure, data platforms, automation, and modern system architecture. As we expand our presence in the U.S. market, we're building long-term relationships with exceptional engineering leaders who enjoy solving meaningful business problems through technology. HOW TO APPLY A traditional cover letter isn't necessary. We'd rather learn about your engineering expertise and communication style directly. Instead, please: • Attach a 60–90 second video introducing yourself. • Answer the screening questions below. Applications without a video introduction will not be considered.