Job description of a CTO
Technical strategy
The CTO of an organisation effectively holds, develops, articulates, and continually evolves the organisation's strategic direction from a technology perspective
They are responsible for making sure the organisation continues to have the best technology offering in a dynamically-evolving, increasingly competitive space
The CTO brings proper balance between business and technology strategy by effectively connecting the outside world with the inside through distilling information into the key trends that indicate where the organisation needs to go next, thus aligning the the organisation's technology strategy with its business strategy
Technical evangelism
The CTO inspires/excites people internally around the long-term vision of the organisation, as well as convincing outsiders that this is where the world is going to be, and that their organisation is the best choice to take them there
A CTO will speak with authority about the market needs, be credible with customers, and be able to articulate the business value and ROI to a variety of audiences at different levels
They maintain an acute political awareness ensuring shifting political landscapes and their influence on technology narratives are understood and accounted for
Team leader
The CTO will rally the engineering team towards the long-term technical goals of the the organisation
They are able to inspire new engineers to join the engineering organisation and drive in the sourcing/identification of such talent
The CTO sets and maintains the technical culture to make sure the organisation can continue to retain and attract top technical talent
They maintain the team’s vigilance for cyber security requirements and a technology construction discipline being maintained at the highest order
