Senior IT Strategy Consultant (vCTO)
UK • Hybrid • Competitive salary + benefits
Focus Group is looking for a Senior IT Strategy Consultant to deliver fractional vCTO/vCIO services across a portfolio of SME–enterprise clients. You’ll work directly with boards and C‑suite stakeholders, shaping long-term technology strategy, driving transformation, and providing clear, practical guidance on the use of AI within their organisations.
What you’ll do
- Lead 6–8 concurrent vCTO/vCIO client engagements.
- Conduct technology assessments and develop multi‑year strategies and roadmaps.
- Present strategic recommendations to boards and executive teams.
- Advise clients on the practical use of AI tools (e.g. Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude) to support productivity and decision‑making.
- Lead digital transformation initiatives, including cloud migration and application modernisation.
- Develop technology operating models, governance frameworks, budgets, and business cases.
- Support vendor strategy, contract negotiation, and technology risk management.
- Contribute to consulting methodology development and support business development activities.
- Build strong, trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
Requirements
What you’ll bring
- Senior technology leadership experience (CTO, CIO, Head of Technology, etc.).
- A proven track record delivering major transformation programmes (£500k–£5m+).
- Strong capability in technology strategy, enterprise architecture, and roadmap development.
- Familiarity with modern AI tools and the ability to advise customers on responsible and valuable use cases.
- Strong knowledge of cloud and hybrid environments, particularly Microsoft Azure.
- Excellent communication and board‑level presentation skills.
- Consulting, fractional CxO, or interim leadership experience preferred.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, including ROI modelling.
- Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel.
Nice to have
- Certifications such as TOGAF, ITIL, Azure Architect, PMP/PRINCE2 or Agile.
- AI or data-related training.
- Experience in regulated sectors or M&A environments.
- Background in software engineering, DevOps, or enterprise applications.
- Thought leadership or speaking experience