Fractional Head of AI
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.
Production standards in action: an AI agent for regulated industries
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.