Fractional iOS CTO & Founding iOS Engineer
Senior iOS leadership embedded in your team for a few months. No full-time hire, no agency markup. 10+ years of iOS at senior and lead roles, including five years at LivaNova (FDA-regulated medical device). Available for fractional CTO, founding iOS engineer, or interim engineering lead engagements.
- leading an iOS team of 1-5 engineers through shipping and scaling
- architectural decisions that compound through every feature shipped after them
- owning iOS roadmap, hiring, and code review so the founder can focus on product
Related work
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What clients say
"Vadim was instrumental to the success Epsy enjoyed on iOS, taking it from an idea on a Miro board to the highest rated and most downloaded app of its kind on the store."
James C. · Mobile Engineering Lead, Epsy
"We had a strict deadline, and Vadim managed to complete the job in time. He gave us meaningful feedback and suggested better approaches, not trying to blindly stick to our specification."
Founder · Pre-seed streaming service
"I can say with confidence that it will be difficult to find a better developer. Vadim is achievement-oriented, highly organized, with very good communication skills."
Alex Z. · Co-Founder, eda.so
Common engagements
Fractional iOS CTO (retainer)
Embedded 1-3 days per week, ongoing. I own the iOS roadmap, run PR review, interview iOS candidates, and sit in architecture calls with the team. Monthly retainer, 3-month minimum, easy to extend. Good fit when you have an iOS team that needs senior oversight without a full-time hire.
Founding iOS engineer
You own product direction and I ship the iOS app plus establish the patterns your future team will inherit. 2-4 months typical, often with a handover to a full-time hire I've helped you interview. Best for pre-seed and seed companies.
Interim iOS engineering lead
Your iOS lead left and you need 2-6 months of cover while hiring. I step into their seat: roadmap, team, review, release cadence. Delivery continues. You get someone with track record while your recruiter runs the full-time search.
Areas I cover
Pricing
Architecture reviews, hiring help, second opinions on that thing that's been bugging you.
Available nowFeatures, MVPs, migrations, firefighting. Minimum 5 days.
Available nowPriority support: review agency code, join architecture calls, catch problems before they ship.
Questions
How is this different from just hiring a senior engineer?
Different jobs. A senior engineer mostly writes code and reviews other people's. A fractional CTO does some of that too, but spends most of the week on hiring, roadmap, and architecture decisions, and often ends up involved in backend or cross-platform calls that touch the iOS app. If you already have an iOS lead and need more hands, a senior engineer is the right hire. If you don't, or your lead is stretched thin, fractional makes more sense.
What's the commitment? Can we do month-to-month?
3-month minimum, extendable month-to-month after. Shorter than that and I can't learn your codebase, team, and roadmap fast enough to be useful. Most retainers run 4-8 months in practice.
Can you help us hire a full-time iOS engineer after?
Yes, this is often the end-state. I run the technical interview loop, write the job description, and help the founder evaluate candidates. The engineer we hire often inherits the patterns I've established, which shortens their ramp-up.
What size of team does this make sense for?
0 engineers (you're pre-hire and need an iOS app shipped), 1-2 engineers (they need senior oversight), or 3-5 engineers (you need a lead but don't want a full-time one). Above 5-8 engineers, you probably need a full-time CTO.
Do you write code yourself or only advise?
Both. At fractional cadence, I write the code for high-risk modules and pair with the team on the rest. Pure advisory engagements are available too but usually aren't what founders need.
How do I get a quote?
Two paths. If you need speed, send me a detailed brief and I'll quote from it (usually within 48 hours). If you'd rather talk first, book a free 30-minute scoping call and I'll quote after. Most clients who pick the brief path land on the call anyway once we get into the specifics, but the door is open either way.
How quickly can you start?
Advisory calls can happen within days. For project work, I typically need 1-2 weeks notice to clear the calendar, though I keep some buffer for urgent firefighting. Check the availability badges above for current openings.
Do you work with early-stage startups?
Yes, from pre-seed to Series C and beyond. For very early teams, the advisory tier often makes more sense than project work: you get architecture guidance without committing to a large engagement before you've validated the product.
What's included in the day rate?
Everything: code, architecture decisions, code review, documentation, async Slack availability during working hours. No surprise add-ons. I bill for time spent working on your project, not for "thinking about it in the shower."
How do you handle timezone differences?
Currently in Vancouver (PST) with full overlap for North American teams. For UK and Europe, I'm online by their afternoon. For Gulf or APAC, we'd agree on overlap hours and handle the rest async. I've worked with teams from San Francisco to Dubai.
Where I've worked CV · LinkedIn
Need embedded iOS leadership?
Describe what you're working on, or book a free 30-min scoping call. I reply within 48 hours.
work@drobinin.com Book a free call →