Field Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

This is primarily a market-facing role. You’d rather be out in the market shaping where we go than waiting inside for an assignment. What You’ll Do At 8th Light

We win work by earning technical trust before a contract is ever signed, and by being genuinely present in the market the rest of the time. This role carries both. You’ll report to the CEO and work most closely with the CEO, the VP of Growth, our practice Partners, and senior technologists.

Your primary focus will require you to:

• Join deal teams to help win new engagements. In a pitch that can mean proposing an architecture, shaping scope, sequencing the work into sensible stages, or recommending how to staff it. On our most important accounts, you’ll stay a technical presence the client trusts well after the work begins.
• Represent us and build relationships in the market. Give talks, write, and show up in person at events. In-person presence matters here, and writing alone won’t carry the role.
• Shape and sharpen what we sell. Turn what you’re seeing in the market into clearer, more current offerings, and keep our position honest: agentic products, deep platform expertise.
• Work with our Growth team to help identify and build relationships with platform and AI partners that put us in front of the right work and keep our teams current.
• Drive our go-to-market direction rather than wait for it. Bring a point of view and help us continuously iterate on where we should show up, what we should say, and which opportunities are worth chasing.

Internally, your footprint is lighter but real. You’re the standard other technologists measure themselves against, and you’re a mentor to those working on their business leadership and impact. You’ll weigh in from time to time on technical job standards and career pathing. You’ll start without direct reports and lead through influence, and as we grow, the role could grow into leading a small team. Strongly Preferred Skills

You’ve spent 10+ years in custom software consultancies, and you’ve been a regular presence on both sides of the business: in the room helping win the work, and in delivery helping build it. You know how to pitch a client honestly and then stand behind what you promised.

You’re highly articulate and commercially fluent. You can talk architecture with a skeptical engineering lead in one meeting and talk ROI with a client’s CEO in the next, and both walk away trusting you. You understand how technical choices shape whether a project makes money because you’ve had to make those calls yourself.

Your technical judgment comes from years of hands-on work, and you keep it current in two ways: you read widely, and you keep doing the work. “Doing” might be a few hours each week staying sharp with new tools, or it might be real delivery responsibility on a live engagement. Either way, you don’t run on knowledge that stopped accruing years ago.

You’re comfortable leading by influence rather than authority. You may not be our deepest expert on any single topic, and that’s fine, because your value shows up differently:

• You ask experienced technologists the kind of sharp questions that send them back to their desk thinking.
• You know a good deal across a wide range of subjects and connect ideas others keep separate.
• You’re an excellent communicator, in writing and on your feet.
• You bring out people’s best work through interpersonal connection and high standards.

Your name carries some weight in the communities you’re part of. When you write or speak, senior engineers pay attention, and a few of them want to come work with you., * A track record of pitching and winning enterprise engagements inside a consultancy

• A public technical presence: talks you’ve given, things you’ve written, communities you help lead
• Experience shaping the service offerings or the technical point of view a firm takes to market
• Relationships with cloud or AI platform partners, and the standing that comes with them
• A working grasp of where AI and agentic tooling is heading, enough to judge where the real opportunities are
• Experience mentoring senior technical talent and raising the bar around them, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, Communication Skills, Experiment Design, Hubs, Interpersonal Skills, Machine Tool, Mentoring, Product Strategy, Return on Investment (ROI), Sales, Startup, Team Lead/Manager, Team Player, Willing to Travel

Our pay range for the Field CTO role is $230,000-$287,500 USD, plus 20-30% variable compensation based on performance. Travel Expectation

This role involves regular but not frequent travel, mostly for in-person events, client pitches, and the occasional team gatherings. How You’ll Be Supported

At 8th Light, our culture is built on the belief that our collective growth and well-being are the drivers of our future.

• Our wellness package is designed with the Whole YOU in mind and includes:
• A robust L&D program featuring unlimited access to thousands of books, courses, and expert-led training on the O’Reilly learning platform.
• Annual financial stipend and time allotment for learning & development
• Coworking support for our global team
• Flexible PTO with floating company holidays
• 12 weeks of new parent leave available for eligible employees

See our full list of Benefits. 8th Light Hubs and Geographies

8th Light’s culture is rooted in strong connections that extend across our teams, regions, and beyond client work. We are a distributed team across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with hubs in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle.

If you are hired into a hub, you will be part of a team with regular rituals around co-working and community building. For team members outside of those cities, we offer access to coworking spaces to foster continued collaboration and connection across our global team.

At 8th Light, we bring life to the best ideas.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, we are a technology solutions provider that partners with organizations to solve meaningful challenges and drive sustainable growth. From early-stage startups to global enterprises, we work across industries to optimize our clients’ digital products through product strategy innovation, experiential design, AI solutions, and deep engineering expertise.

Our commitment to quality means we deliver solutions we’re truly proud of, while our curiosity sparks innovation and breakthrough thinking. 8th Lights thrive in an environment that champions continuous education, fueling our growth through mentorship and hands-on work. We foster an open, collaborative culture grounded in honesty that builds trust, and believe true success is measured by the outcomes we create for our clients.

If this kind of work and our kind of people energizes you, you’ve found the right place. Who You Are