Electrical engineering · CTO
CTO search for electrical engineering companies
We recruit chief technology officers for semiconductor, power systems, industrial controls and advanced manufacturing companies.
The role
Where technical capability becomes a competitive edge
The CTO decides which technology the company bets on and explains why to the people who fund it. Customers want proof the roadmap fits their plans. Investors and the board want confidence it leads somewhere worth funding.
The VP of Engineering runs the engineering organization day to day. The CTO sets the technology direction and ties it to the market. When a company blurs the two, the CTO title lands on someone who never gets to the strategic work.
Why it's hard
Why an engineering CTO search is different
- The time horizon is long. R&D programs here run for years and carry real capital, so short-term thinking does lasting damage.
- The IP is often worth more than anything else the company owns. The CTO decides what to patent, what to keep as a trade secret and what to license.
- Customers test the CTO directly. When a major account wants to know your roadmap fits theirs, the CTO is in the room.
- Every funding call shapes the next product generation: which programs to back, which to shelve, which need a partner.
What we look for
What a strong engineering CTO looks like
We test for four things, and we talk to engineers who've worked for the candidate and board members who've relied on their judgment.
- Deep expertise in one domain, with enough breadth to see the whole system.
- They explain what the technology means for revenue and market position, in terms a board can act on.
- They run the patent portfolio as part of the strategy, working with legal on what to file and when.
- They build teams that strong engineers want to join and stay on.
How it works
How the search runs
The Bullseye Meeting
We sit down with the CEO, the board or the owners and agree on the technology strategy, the domains that matter, the pay, and who makes the final call.
Mapped search
We approach CTOs and senior technology leaders running engineering organizations well right now, in confidential conversations. Most aren't looking.
Mutual-fit assessment
We test technical depth, strategic judgment and how candidates explain technology to non-engineers, and we reference well beyond the list a candidate hands us.
Onboard & follow through
We advise on the offer and equity, then stay in touch through the first 90 days, while the new CTO earns credibility with your engineers.
Questions
Engineering CTO search: common questions
A CTO sets the technology direction and connects it to customers, the market and the board. A VP of Engineering runs the engineering organization and delivers the roadmap. Smaller companies sometimes need one person to do both. We work out which seat you need in the Bullseye Meeting.
Typically one to three weeks to calibrate, candidate recommendations from around week four to week eight, and an offer to your top candidate between weeks eight and twelve for a leadership role or twelve and sixteen for an executive role. Searches finish faster when you're ready to move as soon as the right person surfaces.
You pay a deposit to launch the search, nothing more until you hire, a payment at hire, and a final payment thirty days after your new leader starts. Fees depend on the role, and we quote them plainly in the first conversation.
Every FireSeeds search carries a guarantee. If the placement doesn't work out within the agreed period, we re-run the search. The specifics are set out in the engagement letter before we start.
Looking for your next CTO?
Tell us about the seat you need to fill. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team to fill it.