Roles we hunt
Chief AI Officer Recruitment
For most businesses a Chief AI Officer (CAIO) is a first-time hire, and the seat is still being defined as companies fill it. The CAIO owns how the business uses AI: which projects get funded, which tools and models are used, how data and risk are handled, and whether the results are worth the money. It’s a business role first. A good CAIO can explain an AI decision to the board in plain terms.
What does AI fluency look like in a Chief AI Officer?
Candidates come from data science, technology leadership, strategy or operations. Any can work. What separates them is evidence. The fluent ones:
- Have put AI into real use, with real users, and can say what it changed.
- Bring up cost and risk before you ask about them.
- Can name a project they said no to.
- Bring people along, including staff worried about their jobs.
The most useful interview question is about a failure. Ask what went wrong on an AI rollout they led and what they changed afterwards. Someone who has done the work will have specifics, like a vendor that over-promised or a team that quietly stopped using the tool. Candidates who talk mostly about models and tool names are a warning sign. The hard part of this job is getting the business to change.
Does your business need a Chief AI Officer?
Not always. A capable CTO may own AI well, and if risk is the main concern, start with an AI Compliance Officer.
A CAIO makes sense when AI is changing how the whole business makes money and nobody at the top table owns it. That fits an established digital business adding AI leadership to its executive team, or an overseas company deciding who leads AI for its Australian division. Either way, settle early how the CAIO works alongside the CTO and CMO.
Where do you find a Chief AI Officer?
In our experience, people with real AI delivery experience at this level are employed and not reading job ads.
Keyword screening doesn’t help. Operators who have quietly rebuilt a function around AI rarely describe it in the words a filter scans for, so we don’t screen that way and keep no candidate database.
We start by defining the role: what it owns, who it reports to and what success looks like at 30, 60 and 90 days. Then we go and talk to the people who fit. Our guide on how to hire a Chief AI Officer goes deeper, or see how it works.
How does Headhuntly run a Chief AI Officer search?
Like every Headhuntly executive search, it’s exclusive: one client, one role, complete focus. Before we approach anyone, we define three profiles, your company, the role and the person. If the brief isn’t settled yet, we help you set the KPIs and a 30, 60, 90 day framework first.
Then we go after people who aren’t looking. Based on the Gold Coast, hunting Australia-wide. Overseas too, when the right person is there. A typical search takes 3 to 6 weeks.
We charge 15% of the placed candidate's base salary plus super, plus an engagement fee, the placement fee on signed employment contract, the engagement fee upfront, which we walk you through on the first call. If the placement doesn’t work out during probation, we start the hunt again. The detail is on how it works.
Related roles
Questions, answered
What does a Chief AI Officer do?
A Chief AI Officer owns how the business uses AI. They decide which projects get funded and which tools get used, look after data and risk, and answer for whether the results justify the cost. Most report to the CEO or sit close to it.
Do we need a Chief AI Officer or a CTO?
If AI is one part of your technology, a strong CTO can own it. A separate Chief AI Officer makes sense when AI changes how the whole business makes money, and it needs an owner at the top table.
How long does it take to hire a Chief AI Officer?
Around 3 to 6 weeks for a typical search. The role is new in many businesses, so we usually spend time defining it first. A sharp brief makes the search faster.
What does a Chief AI Officer earn in Australia?
The title is new and pay varies widely with scope. Headhuntly doesn't publish a band for it. When you brief us, we'll give you a straight read on what the calibre of person you want is likely to cost.
Hiring a Chief AI Officer?
Tell us about the role. We’ll tell you straight whether it needs a headhunt, and what the search would look like.