# Fractional Head of AI

> Fractional AI leadership: I set the AI strategy, roadmap and delivery standards for teams shipping production GenAI, without a full-time executive hire.

Source: https://szemat.pro/en/fractional/

## What a Fractional Head of AI is

I run your company's AI function on a fractional basis: I set the strategy, the roadmap and the delivery standards, and support the team on the high-order decisions, without the full-time commitment or cost of a permanent executive role. It is senior AI leadership, in the dose your stage needs.

## When it fits

You don't always need a full-time Head of AI. A fractional model fits when:

- You have AI initiatives underway but no one senior setting the technical and business direction at once.
- You need to decide where to invest in AI and with what priority, without committing to an executive hire yet.
- Your team can build, but lacks the evaluation, guardrail and governance standards to reach production.
- You want independent, vendor-agnostic judgment for your AI architecture and stack decisions.

## How I work

- Strategy connected to execution: I don't leave a slide deck, I leave decisions the team can build on.
- Vendor- and framework-agnostic: I recommend for your case, not for my favorite tool.
- Production as the standard, not the aspiration: evals, guardrails and observability treated as requirements.
- No dependency on me: I raise your team's level so the AI function holds up once the engagement ends.

## What I bring

An AI function with direction: a prioritized strategy and roadmap, delivery standards (evaluation, guardrails, governance) your team applies, judgment on architecture, stack and team decisions, and support on the high-order calls. The goal is a team that ships AI reliably, with me and also without me.

## Fractional vs. a full-time Head of AI

A full-time Head of AI makes sense when AI is the central, permanent engine of your business. The fractional model gives you the same senior judgment before that point: you start fast, without a long executive search or the fixed cost of a permanent role, and you adjust the commitment as the function matures. When the time for a full-time internal role comes, I help define it and hand the function over.

## Who it is for

For founders and leaders who need senior AI direction on an ongoing basis, but whose stage does not yet justify or require a full-time AI executive.

Is what you have a specific pilot that needs to reach production, rather than ongoing direction? That is scoped work: the POC-to-Production Sprint. Not sure which one fits your case? Email me and I will point you the right way.

## Frequently asked questions

### What exactly is a Fractional Head of AI?

It is senior AI leadership on a part-time basis: I run your company's AI function (strategy, roadmap, delivery standards and high-order decisions) without the commitment or cost of a full-time executive role.

### How is it different from hiring a full-time Head of AI?

In commitment and cost: you get the same senior judgment, but you start fast, without a long executive search or a fixed permanent cost, and you adjust the hours to what your stage needs. When AI justifies a full-time internal role, I help define it and hand the function over.

### Can it be combined with a POC-to-Production Sprint or an AI Discovery Sprint?

Yes. A Discovery finds where AI creates value; a Sprint takes one specific pilot to production; the fractional role gives ongoing direction above both. It is common to start with scoped work and continue with fractional support if needed.

### Who owns the work, and what happens if we later hire internally?

Everything defined and built is yours: strategy, standards and code stay with your team. If you later bring on an internal Head of AI, I help define the profile and hand the function over without friction.