Technical Leadership. On Demand.
Senior CTO and VP Engineering capacity embedded within weeks. Accountable for architecture, delivery, and team stability from day one - with Gradion's full engineering network behind them.
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The gap that stalls good companies
Most engineering breakdowns are not caused by bad engineers. They happen when there is no one in the room who can set technical direction, make architectural calls, and hold the team accountable to delivery at the same time.
A founding team hits Series B and realizes it has been operating without a CTO for eighteen months. A PE-backed company closes an acquisition and immediately loses two senior engineers. A mid-market business starts a platform migration with no one senior enough to own the outcome.
These situations call for leadership on short notice, at the senior level, without the six-month hiring cycle.
Accountability, Not Advisory
Most technology consulting firms offer advisory. Gradion offers accountability.
Leaders placed by Gradion carry real responsibility for outcomes: delivery timelines, architectural quality, team stability. They do not write reports and hand them to your team. They run the function.
This is also what separates a Gradion placement from a solo interim hire. Every leader placed brings Gradion's delivery network behind them - which means they can act on what they find:
Architecture needs validation? They draw on Gradion's audit and assessment capability - the same team that reviews 300+ application estates and passes Big Four audits.
Delivery needs capacity? They can mobilize Gradion engineering teams within days, not months. No separate procurement cycle.
Team needs building? They design the org structure, define the roles, and manage the hiring process - informed by Gradion's experience building engineering teams from zero to 20+ across DACH and Asia-Pacific.
A solo interim CTO has their own experience. A Gradion-placed leader has an organization.
How We Match
Placing a senior leader into an existing organization is not a staffing decision. It is a cultural and operational fit decision.
We match on three dimensions: sector experience (the leader has operated in your industry or an adjacent one), operating context (they have led through your specific situation - post-acquisition, scaling, turnaround, greenfield), and team dynamics (their leadership style is calibrated to what the existing team needs - stabilization requires a different presence than acceleration).
Every placement begins with a structured scoping conversation: what is the leadership gap, what does the team look like, what does success mean in six months? We do not send CVs. We present a recommendation with a rationale.
How We Engage
Phase | What happens | Typical timeframe |
|---|---|---|
Scoping | Structured assessment of the leadership gap: role definition, team context, operating situation, success criteria. | 3–5 days |
Placement | Leader matched and embedded. Takes ownership of architecture, delivery cadence, and team accountability from the first week. | 2–4 weeks from engagement start |
Operate | Leader runs the function with full accountability. Regular alignment with your executive team. Access to Gradion's engineering network for architecture reviews, capacity, and hiring support as needed. | 3–12 months |
Transition | Permanent hire identified and onboarded, or internal successor developed. Full handover of documentation, decisions, and team context. Engagement ends when the organization can sustain momentum independently. | 4–8 weeks |
The engagement ends when you are ready - whether that means a permanent hire is in place, the critical phase is complete, or the team is stable enough to move forward independently.
Service Models
Fractional CTO
For companies that need strategic technical leadership without a full-time hire. The leader sets technology direction, makes architectural decisions, represents technology in board and investor conversations, and governs delivery. Typical for Series A–B startups, PE portfolio companies, and mid-market businesses in transition. Engagement: 2–4 days per week · 3–12 months
Interim VP Engineering
For organizations that need someone to own delivery operations. The leader runs the engineering function: sprint cadence, hiring pipeline, team performance, release management, and vendor coordination. Typical for post-acquisition stabilization, scaling phases, or leadership departures that leave a gap in day-to-day engineering management. Engagement: Full-time · 3–6 months
Engineering Team Building
For companies building or rebuilding an engineering organization. The leader designs the team structure, defines roles and seniority levels, manages the hiring process, and onboards the first cohort. Hands over a functioning team, not a hiring plan. Engagement: 3–9 months depending on team size
Proof In Production
LemonSwan - From Zero to €8M Revenue LemonSwan came to Gradion as a single-person concept with no product, no team, and no operational structure. Gradion built the platform end-to-end and placed both leaders the business needed to run independently. A German dating industry expert based in Asia was embedded into the founding team and became CEO. The lead developer who built the platform was relocated from Asia to Germany and became CTO. Both grew into their roles from inside the engagement - not hired cold into a company they did not know. By 2024, LemonSwan had reached an estimated €8M in annual revenue and established itself as a trusted brand in Central European dating.
"From the very beginning, working with Gradion felt like a true partnership. Gradion didn't just bring strong technical expertise; they consistently went the extra mile, thought with us, and adapted when things got tough. What stood out the most was their flexibility and commitment, even in less-than-ideal conditions." - Paul Uhlig, Managing Director, LemonSwan
German PE Portfolio - Post-acquisition Leadership Continuity When a newly acquired e-commerce portfolio company lost senior developers following post-close restructuring, Gradion deployed senior engineering leadership within days. The placed leader took ownership of core systems, stabilized the platform within 3 days, and managed the subsequent modernization program. The same PE firm has since used Gradion for leadership placements across multiple portfolio companies - providing technical leadership continuity across deal activity without depending on target company retention.
APAC SaaS Expansion - CTO Placement for Market Entry A European SaaS company entering Southeast Asian markets needed a technical leader who understood both the product architecture and the operating environment. Gradion placed a CTO with regional experience who built the local engineering team from zero to 15, established delivery processes aligned with the European parent, and launched the platform in-market within six months. The leader transitioned to a permanent hire after the critical phase was complete.
All figures are from live engagements. Additional references available under NDA.
Describe the leadership gap. We will recommend the right engagement model and present a matched leader within weeks.
Whether you need a fractional CTO for strategic direction, an interim VP Engineering to stabilize delivery, or a leader to build your engineering team from scratch - the conversation starts the same way: what does the organization need, and what does success look like in six months?