vCTO

RFA Engineering; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

RFA Engineering seeks an experienced Virtual Chief Technology Officer (vCTO) to guide technology strategy for a portfolio of financial services clients. You will align technology with business goals, manage risk, and influence architecture, platforms, and vendors at an executive level.

You will partner with COOs, CFOs, and partners, providing architecture direction while coordinating internal teams to deliver strategic outcomes.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in information technology, consulting, managed services, infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, or related fields.
• 5+ years in a senior technology leadership, architecture, consulting, or client advisory role.
• Strong technical knowledge across infrastructure, cloud, networking, cybersecurity, identity, Public Cloud AWS and Microsoft 365/Azure, and business continuity.
• Demonstrated experience developing technology strategies, roadmaps, and long-term investment plans.
• Ability to evaluate complex technical environments and provide architecture-level recommendations.
• Experience working directly with senior executives and presenting complex technical topics in clear business terms.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity, technology risk, resiliency, and operational best practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain multi-year technology roadmaps aligned with client business objectives.
• Understand each client’s business, operating model, technology environment, risk profile, and future plans.
• Identify technology gaps, risks, lifecycle issues, modernization opportunities, and future requirements.
• Recommend appropriate architectures, technologies, platforms, and vendors.
• Introduce new technologies where they can improve efficiency, security, resiliency, or business outcomes.
• Initiate strategic projects based on identified client needs and work with internal teams to move those initiatives into execution.
• Provide high-level technical and architectural guidance across cloud, infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, identity, Microsoft 365, business continuity, and related technologies.
• Lead recurring strategic technology reviews with client executives.
• Help clients plan and prioritize annual and multi-year technology investments.
• Serve as a senior escalation point when significant technical or service issues require cross-functional coordination or executive involvement.
• Work across Engineering, Security, Compliance, Projects, Service Delivery, Solutions Architecture, and other technical teams to ensure client needs are being addressed.
• Ensure technical decisions and projects remain aligned with the client’s broader strategy.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI and automation, and identify practical opportunities for adoption

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic technology planning

Communication with executives

Risk management

Architecture governance

Tools

AWS

Azure

Microsoft 365

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Virtual Chief Technology Officer (vCTO) to provide strategic technology leadership to a portfolio of financial services clients. The vCTO serves as the senior technology advisor for assigned clients, helping them align technology with business goals, manage risk, plan future technology investments, and make informed decisions around architecture, platforms, vendors, and emerging technologies. This is a highly technical and client-facing leadership role, but it is not an implementation position. The vCTO is expected to understand complex environments, provide strategic and architectural direction, and coordinate the appropriate internal teams to execute.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate combines the technical depth of a senior architect with the business perspective and communication skills of a technology executive. They are comfortable working with senior engineers on architecture and design decisions, while also advising COOs, CFOs, partners, principals, and other executives on technology strategy, risk, investment, and business impact. They are proactive, consultative, technically credible, and able to see across multiple technology disciplines to ensure the client’s overall needs are being met.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain multi-year technology roadmaps aligned with client business objectives.
• Understand each client’s business, operating model, technology environment, risk profile, and future plans.
• Identify technology gaps, risks, lifecycle issues, modernization opportunities, and future requirements.
• Recommend appropriate architectures, technologies, platforms, and vendors.
• Introduce new technologies where they can improve efficiency, security, resiliency, or business outcomes.
• Initiate strategic projects based on identified client needs and work with internal teams to move those initiatives into execution.
• Provide high-level technical and architectural guidance across cloud, infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, identity, Microsoft 365, business continuity, and related technologies.
• Lead recurring strategic technology reviews with client executives.
• Help clients plan and prioritize annual and multi-year technology investments.
• Serve as a senior escalation point when significant technical or service issues require cross-functional coordination or executive involvement.
• Work across Engineering, Security, Compliance, Projects, Service Delivery, Solutions Architecture, and other technical teams to ensure client needs are being addressed.
• Ensure technical decisions and projects remain aligned with the client’s broader strategy.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI and automation, and identify practical opportunities for adoption

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in information technology, consulting, managed services, infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, or related fields.
• 5+ years in a senior technology leadership, architecture, consulting, or client advisory role.
• Strong technical knowledge across infrastructure, cloud, networking, cybersecurity, identity, Public Cloud AWS and Microsoft 365/Azure, and business continuity.
• Demonstrated experience developing technology strategies, roadmaps, and long-term investment plans.
• Ability to evaluate complex technical environments and provide architecture-level recommendations.
• Experience working directly with senior executives and presenting complex technical topics in clear business terms.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity, technology risk, resiliency, and operational best practices.
• Experience coordinating initiatives across multiple technical teams or disciplines.
• Strong written, verbal, and executive communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience as a vCTO, vCIO, CTO, CIO, Director of Technology, IT Director, Enterprise Architect, Solutions Architect, or senior technology consultant.
• Experience working for an MSP or technology consulting organization.
• Experience supporting financial-services organizations.
• Familiarity with financial-services technology environments, vendors, regulatory requirements, and security expectations.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365.
• Experience with cybersecurity, disaster recovery, business continuity, and technology risk management.
• Familiarity with AI, automation, data governance, and other emerging technologies.