Fractional CIO or IT Manager hire?
They solve different problems. Many growing companies need one, some need both, and a few need neither yet. Here is how the two compare.
| Comparison | Fractional CIO | IT Manager hire | Full-time CIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it owns | Technology strategy, roadmap, budget, vendor contracts, risk and policy | Day-to-day IT operations, users, devices and the MSP relationship | All of the above, as a member of the executive team |
| Typical cost | A monthly retainer, sized to the work. Quoted after a 30-minute Discovery Conversation. | About $94K to $206K a year, median about $133K (Job Bank, Calgary, 2023–2024) plus benefits and recruiting | $150K to $250K+ with benefits, from TAP’s article on hiring a CIO |
| Time to value | Weeks. Starts with a fixed review. | Months. Recruiting, then onboarding. | Months. Executive search, then onboarding. |
| Commitment | Monthly, sized to the work | Permanent role | Permanent executive role |
| Main risk | Needs someone internal to carry out the plan | Hired to fix tickets, then expected to set strategy | Cost is out of proportion below about 200 staff |
| Best when | Decisions carry real risk but there is not a full-time strategic workload | The operational workload is steady and the strategy is already clear | Technology is core to how the company competes |
If any of these has no clear owner, an IT hire alone will not fix it.
- 01
Who will own the technology roadmap and the vendor contracts?
- 02
What does your insurer now require for cyber cover, and who answers for it?
- 03
Which system will you outgrow first, and who decides what replaces it?
A fractional CIO sets the direction and writes the job description. The IT Manager runs it.
A fractional CIO can define the IT role before you hire: what it owns, what it does not, and how it works with the MSP. That makes the hire clearer and the first year easier to manage.
The Health Check covers this questionNot sure where the risk sits? Start with 30 minutes.
A Discovery Conversation is 30 minutes with Evan or Sean. You leave with the two or three technology risks that matter most to your business, and a view of what to do first. No pitch deck and no obligation.