Chief AI Officer

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What the market looks like

We've tracked 65 executive-level AI engineering postings in the US over the last six months, concentrated in California, New York, and Texas across professional services, technology, financial services, and healthcare. Chief AI Officer roles at this level command salaries between $210K and $500K, with strongest candidates bringing a blend of hands-on AI/ML engineering leadership, board-level communication skills, and proven experience scaling AI capabilities across multiple business units. These leaders combine deep technical credibility with strategic business judgment—they can translate between engineering teams and the C-suite, own both vendor evaluation and build-vs-buy decisions, and anchor organizational AI strategy in realistic technical roadmaps rather than aspirational frameworks.

Job responsibilities

• Own the organization's AI strategy, roadmap, and execution—defining which AI initiatives drive business value, sequencing them against technical and organizational constraints, and holding teams accountable to outcomes.

• Build and lead the AI engineering function, including hiring, retention, skill development, and cross-functional collaboration with product, data, security, and infrastructure teams.

• Partner with the CEO and executive team on AI-driven business opportunities, competitive positioning, and risk mitigation—translating technical trade-offs into business language for board and investor conversations.

• Drive adoption of AI across the organization by identifying high-impact use cases, removing organizational barriers, and embedding AI literacy into existing workflows and decision-making.

• Manage vendor relationships, evaluate third-party AI platforms and models, and make informed decisions on proprietary vs. commercial AI solutions based on security, performance, and cost.

• Establish governance, risk, and compliance frameworks for AI—including data privacy, model fairness, security, and regulatory obligations specific to your industry.

• Report to the CEO or Chief Technology Officer; represent AI engineering at the executive table and in board-level discussions.

Candidate requirements

• 12+ years in AI/ML engineering, data science, or related technical leadership roles, with at least 5 years in a director, VP, or C-level position.

• Demonstrated experience leading and scaling engineering teams (typically 10–50+ people), recruiting senior talent, and building high-performing organizations.

• Hands-on technical depth in AI/ML—comfortable reviewing model architectures, understanding training pipelines, and making informed judgments on technical feasibility and approach.

• Proven track record shipping AI products or capabilities into production, including experience with ML ops, model deployment, monitoring, and cross-functional delivery.

• Strong executive communication skills—ability to present AI strategy, risks, and trade-offs to boards, investors, and non-technical executives with clarity and conviction.

• Experience navigating AI governance, responsible AI, and regulatory requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, or industry-specific compliance).