CTO vs. VP of Engineering: Understanding the Differences and Determining Who to Hire

As an executive recruiter at People Project , I’m often asked about the difference between the role of a VP of Engineering and a CTO.

Every company’s DNA is unique, and titles evolve as a company grows. Titles also mean different things to different people; title promotions motivate some people while others care less about optics. So when a company comes to me for help hiring a CTO or VP of Engineering, I first help them define the role they are hiring for rather than the title.

What problem are you solving with this hire?

When defining the role, consider the problem your company is trying to solve with this hire. The following questions will probe into your most pressing needs:

• What are the most critical problems we need them to solve in the next year? What about in year two?
• What would we like this person to achieve in their first 12–18 months? Why are these outcomes so important? How do they relate to our business goals?
• How will we measure their success in year one?

VPE vs. CTO

If your company is looking for a very technical CTO, you may need to find someone who loves systems design, coding, and technical architecture. But buyer beware! This person may be a great technical leader but not great at managing teams. The deepest thinkers in architecture are rarely excellent team leaders.

Depending on the size of your team and your budget, you may then want to consider hiring a VP of Engineering. This person manages the day-to-day operations of your engineering team. The VP of Engineering should know whom to hire, how to recruit successfully, and organize a team that works well together.

At the highest level, a CTO typically ensures the technical approach is correct, while the VP of Engineering ensures the team is happy and delivers quality products on time. You will rarely find one person who can wear both hats well. But, if they can, it may become challenging to perform at their best when playing dual roles, especially as your company grows.

Who does what?

Here’s a breakdown of common requirements and responsibilities for CTOs and the VP of Engineering. Given the complexity and wide-ranging opinions on this topic, tasks may be interchangeable, or a CTO may assume some of the duties listed under VPE (and vice versa).

CTO

• The technology visionary who lays the foundation of what should be built
• Partners with the CEO and other key stakeholders as an executive team member
• Internalizing product and company objectives and translating that into technical strategy
• Leverages innovation and encourages the right amount of risk-taking
• Understands the long and short-term goals of the business, determine the right technology and approach to align with business goals
• Drives change, leads by influence, and inspires others
• Collaborates with marketing, finance, and other functions to help move the business forward
• Participates in investor meetings and presents at events, representing the company’s technical POV
• Makes decisions on buy vs. build, onshore vs. offshore, and vendor selection
• Participates in technical due diligence for M&A
• P & L understanding and budget responsibility

Technical CTO / Chief Architect

• Sets standards for how code is developed
• Has a heavy influence on the technical strategy
• Participates in technical due diligence for potential M&A deals
• The strongest technologist in the organization and can make high-level architectural decisions
• Internal voice for technology in the company

VP Engineering

• Cares about the happiness, well-being, and productivity of the engineering team
• Great people manager who knows how to motivate their team
• Creates cohesion between product and engineering teams, successfully collaborating on technical and product roadmaps
• Determines hiring plans, drives recruiting strategy and interview processes
• Uses best practices to build, lead, and develop a world-class engineering team
• Creates an organizational structure and career ladders
• Establishes your engineering brand and how to evangelize to attract top talent
• Uses the right amount of rigor, process, and predictive delivery while managing execution
• Inspires the team and instills a sense of purpose.
• Creates autonomy while holding the team accountable
• Understands the tradeoffs between performance, delivery, reliability, and scalability when considering business objectives and deadlines

As a caveat, I have seen companies hire a CTO who has a deep understanding of technology but hasn’t written a line of code in years. They can operate successfully doing many of the things I list under ‘CTO,’ but they will not be the strongest technologist in the company. In this case, they may lean on Architects, Directors of Engineering, Principle Engineers, or other qualified team members.

Different circumstances lead to hiring a new CTO or VP of Engineering. Your co-founding CTO may not be the CTO your company needs in year five. You’re in a different leg of the race; therefore, you may need a different kind of runner. I was fortunate to work with my friend Daniel Doubrovkine on his search for Artsy’s VP of Engineering. I love his blog post , which shares Daniel’s journey that led him to decide when he needed to hire a VP of Engineering. He also describes how he divided responsibilities between the CTO and VP of Engineering.

Now that you’ve figured out who you want to hire, it’s time to prepare for the search and get your internal team aligned. Stay tuned for Part Two of this blog post!