01
You've been trying to launch for too long
Months or years in, cycling through developers, with an architecture that has grown too complex to finish. The fix is usually cutting scope to what actually matters, not adding more people.
Fractional CTO & Technology Advisor
Senior technology leadership, without the full-time hire.
I'm a builder at heart — and a senior technology leader with 27 years spent scaling products, teams and technology organisations, most recently as a fractional CTO to founders across Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. I turn ideas into clear plans, plans into shipped products, and products into teams that keep shipping without me.
Working across Jordan Saudi Arabia UAE
27
Years in
technology
6
Startups
supported
30+
Engineering &
QA team built
$26M
Funding round
supported
3
Markets
served
Who this is for
You don't need more opinions. You need someone who has done it.
Most founders I work with aren't short of ideas or effort. They're stuck on one of four things — and every one of them is a technology leadership problem, not a developer problem.
02
Growth is breaking what you built
The system crashes at peak load, costs are climbing faster than revenue, and the codebase was never designed for the traffic it now carries.
03
You're building a team, not just a product
Moving off outsourced development, hiring your first in-house engineers, and needing someone who can judge technical talent properly and get them productive.
04
You need structure without losing speed
Enough process to make delivery predictable and to stand up to investor scrutiny — without the bureaucracy that kills the pace that got you here.
AI in practice
AI changed what a small team can ship. Most teams still use it badly.
Giving developers a licence isn't a strategy. The teams getting real leverage from AI have decided where it belongs in the workflow, what gets reviewed, and what it should never be trusted with. That's the part I put in place.
Talk about AI in your team-
I build with it myself
I'm hands-on with AI tooling every day — writing and reviewing code, working through architecture, prototyping ideas before they're committed to a roadmap. What I advise comes from current practice, not from reading about it.
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I make whole teams AI-capable
Tool access isn't capability. I set the working practices — where AI fits in the delivery process, what it's allowed to touch, how its output gets reviewed, and what data never goes near it — so the whole team levels up instead of one enthusiast pulling ahead.
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I bring development costs down
Used well, AI compresses the work — faster prototypes, less time lost to boilerplate and groundwork, smaller teams covering more ground. For early-stage companies that usually means keeping scope intact instead of cutting it to fit the budget.
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I train developers to use it properly
The risk was never AI writing code — it's developers shipping code they don't understand. I've seen first-hand what vibe coding leaves behind on a genuinely complex product. I train teams on review discipline, security and data handling, and on recognising the problems where AI is the wrong tool entirely.
Work with me
Three ways to bring in senior technology leadership.
Every engagement starts with one conversation to find the real problem. Scope, depth and duration are set from there — shaped around your stage, not a fixed package.
Direction Call
One call to work out where your technology should be heading.
Pricing on request
- Structured view of the real problem, not the symptom
- A straight answer on the decision in front of you
- Clear next steps you can act on
- No obligation to go further
Advisory Retainer
Ongoing senior technology direction alongside your existing team or technical lead.
Pricing on request
- Regular working sessions with you and your leadership team
- Technology direction, architecture and roadmap input
- Hiring, team structure and delivery process guidance
- AI adoption: working practices, tooling and developer training
- Vendor selection and cost optimisation
- A second pair of eyes on the decisions that are hard to reverse
Embedded Fractional CTO
Hands-on ownership of technology and product, from definition through to a team that runs itself.
Pricing on request
- MVP definition and product direction with the founders
- Architecture and technology stack decisions
- Hiring, onboarding and building the engineering function
- AI-assisted delivery to keep cost and timeline in range
- Delivery process, governance and execution planning
- Through to launch — and a clean handover afterwards
Recent engagements
Real companies. Real constraints. Shipped.
A selection of recent work across startups and growing companies, spanning product, technology, team building, and scale.
Communications & Messaging Scale-up
Fractional CTOJordan
A scale-up focused on business communications — VoIP and WhatsApp campaign management — running on an ageing codebase that wasn't built to handle growth. The system was crashing under peak customer load, and costs were spiralling.
I came in to fix both. On the stability side, I identified and resolved the operational issues causing the crashes. On cost, I attacked it at two levels — software architecture and cloud infrastructure — restructuring how the system was built and how it ran.
The company had secured AWS credits, so I led the full migration from Azure to AWS, rearchitecting the infrastructure in the process. I also introduced CI/CD practices, interviewed the existing developers and put together a development plan for the team, and hired new developers to strengthen the engineering function.
What we built
Web Application
Kids Finance & Virtual Card App
Fractional CTOSaudi Arabia
A fintech product built around giving kids financial independence with full parental oversight. Parents load money into their child's wallet and issue a virtual card usable for online and offline purchases — with complete visibility into spending, automated allowances, and a gamified chores management layer to make financial habits stick.
I joined at the earliest stage and owned the full technology and product setup — defining the MVP, making architectural decisions, and selecting the technology stack. I built the team from the ground up, led hiring and onboarding, and established the processes and culture the team would operate by.
Throughout the build I worked closely with the founders, keeping product direction tightly aligned with delivery capacity all the way through the first release.
What we built
Mobile Application
Admin Web
Smart Building & Hotel Automation
Technology AdvisorUAE
A company delivering smart automation for large residential buildings and hotels — covering lighting, climate, access, and broader facility control through integrated IoT systems.
The company had been operating as an implementer using OEM applications and wanted to build their own technology product. I came in at the start, helped define the product direction and technical approach, and turned early ideas into a clear, executable build plan.
From there I led the hiring process, onboarded the initial engineering team, and stayed hands-on through the build until the product successfully launched.
What we built
Mobile Application
Management Portal
Client Portal
Pet Services Marketplace
Technology AdvisorUAE
A marketplace and services integrator connecting pet owners with a range of pet care services. The company had a technology lead in place but was facing delivery challenges and struggling to move fast enough.
At the same time, they wanted to shift away from outsourced development in Asia and build a permanent in-house team in Jordan. I came in to help unblock delivery while leading the team-building effort in parallel — overseeing hiring with recruiting partners, selecting the right technology profiles, and onboarding the team.
I managed the team through the transition period, embedding the right processes and culture, before fully handing over a functioning, self-sufficient engineering team.
What we built
Web Application
Mobile Application
Photography & Studio Platform
Fractional CTOUAE
A web platform built for professional photographers and studios to share work with their clients — supporting feedback, file versioning, and high-res downloads.
By the time I joined, the company had been trying to launch for two years, cycling through multiple technology leaders and developers without shipping. My mandate was clear: get the product out the door.
Working closely with the product manager, I identified the core features that actually mattered, simplified an architecture that had grown far too complex to ship, and rebuilt the delivery approach around momentum. The product launched within six months.
I continued working with the company post-launch — hiring and onboarding developers, and partnering closely with the product manager and founders to shape the next phase of the product.
What we built
Web Application
Household & Family Calendar Management
Fractional CTOUAE
A household and family calendar management app at the earliest stage — a solo founder who had been working with a freelancer for a year with no clear direction, no defined MVP, and nothing close to launch.
The freelancer had been applying vibe coding to what was actually a complex product, leaving the codebase in a difficult state. I came in, cut through the ambiguity, and redesigned the approach from scratch — defining a focused MVP and influencing the technology stack to something more appropriate for the product's complexity.
I hired a mid-level QA/Product Manager — one person covering both roles — to bring structure to delivery. We launched the MVP within four months.
What we built
Mobile Application
Experience
Twenty-seven years, built one team at a time.
From first internal technology hire to a 30-plus engineering function, and from an early-stage idea to a launch-ready product — the same job at different scales.
2023 — Present
Fractional CTO & Technology Advisor
Independent
Giving startups access to senior technology leadership without the need for a full-time executive hire. Partnered with founders and leadership teams on product strategy, technology direction, team building, execution, and scaling.
- Worked with Gulf-based startups across early-stage build-out and scale-up challenges.
- Supported 6 startups across product, technology, and execution needs.
- Helped founders shape ideas into MVP definitions, execution plans, and launch-ready products.
- Advised on technology direction, hiring, team structure, and delivery processes.
- Helped more mature startups improve execution, scale teams, and introduce structure without losing agility.
2017 — 2023
Technology Director
eon Dental
Joined as the company's first internal technology hire. Over seven years, built the in-house product and engineering function from the ground up, shaped and launched the core technology product, and scaled the organisation into a 30+ engineering and QA team.
- Built internal product and engineering capability from the ground up, reducing reliance on outsourced development.
- Led launch and evolution of the core technology product, playing a key role in positioning the company for its $26 million funding round.
- Built and scaled the technology organisation to 30+ across engineering and QA.
- Led planning and operating decisions across product, architecture, hiring, onboarding, budgeting, and vendor management.
- Introduced structure and governance to improve execution while maintaining agility.
- Led cost and operating optimisations during COVID-19 to protect runway and maintain continuity.
2010 — 2015
Project Manager / Solution Architect
Inspire for Solutions Development
Worked with small businesses to customise open-source solutions around their operational needs. Led the engineering team and designed tailored solutions based on customer requirements, balancing technical fit, delivery practicality, and business goals.
2004 — 2010
IT Manager
Arab Media Corporation — Arab Radio and TV, Jordan Media City
Joined as a Systems Engineer and progressed into the IT Manager role, building a 15-person technology team across system administration, software development, and QA. Established a centralised data centre in Jordan to serve branches worldwide and created the in-house software development team.
1999 — 2004
Earlier Roles
- Systems Engineer — Applied Science University (2003–2004)
- MCSE Course Instructor — Gardenia Management and Technology Solutions (2001–2003)
- Technical Support Representative — International Integrated Solutions (1999–2001)
Capabilities
What I bring into the room.
Core competencies
Leadership & Organisation
Engineering Leadership
Team Building & Scaling
Hiring & Onboarding
Operational Leadership
Change Management
Stakeholder Management
Product & Delivery
Product Strategy
MVP Definition
Product Roadmaps
Delivery Management
Software Delivery
Agile Methodologies
Execution Planning
Process Improvement
Technology
Technology Strategy
Architecture
Cloud Infrastructure
Governance
Risk Management
AI
AI-Assisted Delivery
Team AI Enablement
Developer Training
AI Tooling Strategy
Code Review Discipline
AI Risk & Data Handling
Business
Fundraising Support
Budgeting
Cost Optimisation
Vendor Management
Business Alignment
Certifications
Enterprise Architecture — Coursera
Mini-MBA — International Business Management Institute (IBMI)
Microsoft Power BI Essentials
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
CCA Citrix XenDesktop 5
MCTS SharePoint
RHCSA Red Hat Certified Systems Administrator
MCSA Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
MCP Windows NT Server
Common questions
What founders usually ask first.
What does a fractional CTO actually do?
A fractional CTO carries the responsibilities of a chief technology officer on a part-time basis: setting technology direction, making architecture and stack decisions, building and leading the engineering team, and making delivery predictable. The work is the same as a full-time CTO's — the commitment is scaled to what your stage actually needs.
How is this different from hiring a full-time CTO?
Most early-stage companies need senior technology judgement long before they need it full time, and a full-time CTO at that level is expensive and hard to attract. A fractional arrangement gives you the judgement immediately, at the intensity the stage warrants, and can scale up or hand over to a permanent hire when the company is ready.
Which countries do you work in?
Recent engagements have been with companies in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. I also take on work across the wider GCC — Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman — as well as Iraq and Syria. Most of the work is done remotely, with on-site time where it matters: hiring, onboarding a new team, or working through a launch.
What does an engagement cost?
Pricing depends on scope, depth and duration, so it is agreed per engagement rather than sold as a fixed package. Every engagement starts with a Direction Call to establish what the real problem is; scope and cost are set from there.
Do you work with pre-launch startups, or only companies that already have a team?
Both. Recent work spans founders with an idea and no team, companies moving off outsourced development to build in-house, and scale-ups whose existing system is buckling under growth. The common thread is a technology leadership gap, not a company size.
Can you help my team adopt AI properly?
Yes. That means setting the working practices — where AI belongs in the delivery process, what its output must be reviewed against, what data never goes near it — and training developers to use it without shipping code they do not understand. Giving a team tool licences is not the same as making it AI-capable.
Let's talk
Start with one clear conversation.
No pitch, no obligation. Bring the decision you're stuck on or the problem you can't name yet, and we'll work out what's actually going on and what to do about it.
or reach me directly