Fractional Chief AI Officer

Heads up: this posting is for future opportunities rather than one specific open role. If you apply, we'll add you to our candidate network and may reach out when relevant roles come up.

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What the market looks like

We've tracked 1,100+ senior-level postings in AI strategy across the US in the last six months, with concentrations in California, New York, and Texas. The strongest candidates in this space bring hands-on experience translating business strategy into AI roadmaps, often paired with technical credibility and track records closing enterprise deals or scaling cross-functional initiatives. Organizations hiring for these roles span technology, financial services, professional services, healthcare, and manufacturing — sectors where AI adoption directly affects competitive positioning. Fractional Chief AI Officer engagements typically run $250–$400 per hour, scaled by scope and depth of prior executive experience.

Job responsibilities

• Shape and communicate AI strategy aligned with business objectives; advise the C-suite and board on AI opportunity sizing, risk, and competitive implications

• Build or mature the AI capability — assess current state, define talent and tooling requirements, and establish governance frameworks for responsible deployment

• Partner with product, engineering, and business leaders to identify and prioritize high-impact AI use cases; own the business case and go-to-market logic

• Drive vendor evaluation and technology selection; integrate best-of-breed tools into existing systems and workflows

• Lead cross-functional AI working groups; remove blockers and ensure alignment between business, technical, and compliance stakeholders

• Establish metrics and KPIs for AI initiatives; report progress and ROI to leadership with clarity and candor

• Stay current on AI regulatory, ethical, and technical developments; advise on policy, talent market moves, and competitive threats

Candidate requirements

• 10+ years in strategy, business transformation, AI/ML leadership, or technology roles — with at least 5 years in an executive or senior advisory capacity

• Proven track record building or scaling AI capabilities from concept through production; hands-on experience translating business needs into AI roadmaps

• Strong grasp of AI/ML fundamentals and the practical constraints of model deployment, data engineering, and MLOps — enough to hold technical teams accountable

• Experience navigating cross-functional stakeholder groups (product, engineering, compliance, finance) and translating between business and technical languages

• Comfort with ambiguity and early-stage problem-solving; demonstrated ability to shape strategy and build capability in fast-moving, resource-constrained environments