— SERVICE / RETAINER
Fractional Architect — for the long-term decisions
Senior architectural judgment on retainer — one or two days a month, for the long-term decisions.
One to two days a month. No hourly invoices, no fixed deliverables. You buy access to a senior architect for the decisions you don't have to make alone.
- — Investment
- $3,000–6,000/month
- — Timeline
- Monthly retainer · ongoing
— Who it's for
Right fit when…
- — You're a CTO or technical co-founder and the architectural decisions land on your desk — you want a peer to think them through with.
- — Your team is mid-sized (5–30 engineers) and good but young; they need someone to escalate the gnarly calls to.
- — You have an in-house senior architect part-time and want a second voice on the big decisions.
- — You're past the audit or review stage and want ongoing judgment, not project work.
— Deliverables
What you get
- — Two scheduled calls per month — usually 90 minutes each, used for whatever's on your mind.
- — Async availability over Slack or email for architectural questions throughout the month.
- — Written notes after each significant call — a record you can hand back to your team.
- — Architectural decision records (ADRs) co-written when the decision merits one.
- — Permission to interrupt your roadmap when something looks structurally wrong — and the discipline to do it rarely.
— Process
How it runs
-
01
Discovery call
30 minutes. Fit check, what kind of decisions you're working through, whether the retainer is the right shape.
-
02
Onboarding week
I read your architecture, code, and any existing decision records. You bring me up to speed on the team and the roadmap.
-
03
Recurring engagement
Two scheduled calls per month, async availability over Slack or email, written notes after each significant call.
-
04
Cadence review
Every month or two we check whether the retainer is delivering value. Either side can step out with 30 days' notice.
— FAQ
Honest questions
- What if I need more than two days a month?
- That's a different shape. We move to a project engagement — review, build, or audit — for the over-and-above scope, or we agree on an expanded retainer.
- What does "one or two days a month" really mean in hours?
- Two scheduled calls of about 90 minutes each, plus async availability that adds up to four to eight working hours of attention over the month. If a given month is quiet, your retainer rolls over for one month.
- Are you exclusive to me?
- No. I take a small number of fractional engagements at a time — usually one or two — so each gets real attention. If exclusivity matters to you, that's a different conversation and a different price.
- What happens when my needs grow?
- Either we expand the retainer to cover more time, or you hire a full-time senior architect and I help you scope the role and interview candidates. I'd rather hand you off well than hold the seat.
- Can I cancel?
- Yes, with 30 days' notice. The retainer is paid monthly; the notice is so handoff happens cleanly.
Building toward a year of architectural decisions and want a senior peer to think them through with you?
Let’s talk.