Fractional CAIO
C-suite AI leadership. Without the $400K seat.
Embedded executive ownership: strategy, board presence, vendor authority, and a number someone is accountable for.
The right move.
Scaling, no owner
Initiatives exist. Nobody at the executive level owns strategy, budget, and blame.
The salary is the blocker
A full-time CAIO is $300–500K fully loaded, before equity and severance. Standard is $144K a year, Embedded $264K, and it ends on six months’ notice, not a separation package.
The board has started asking
Hard questions on strategy, governance, and risk. You need someone who can answer, and own the answer.
A gap in the search
Permanent hire takes 6–12 months. A fractional CAIO keeps decisions from being made in a vacuum.
The seat
What it actually does.
- Own and drive enterprise AI strategy from the executive level
- Report to the CEO and present to the board
- Build and govern the roadmap with measurable milestones
- Lead vendor selection, negotiation, and oversight
- Establish governance, ethics policy, and risk frameworks
- Chair the AI steering committee
- Drive literacy and change programs
- Evaluate and develop internal talent
- Represent the organization in partnerships
- Deliver quarterly AI performance reviews
Advisory, fractional, full-time.
| Advisory | Fractional CAIO | Full-time CAIO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic guidance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Executive accountability | — | Yes | Yes |
| Board-level presence | — | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor negotiation authority | — | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded in culture | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Typical monthly cost | $7.5–15K | $12–22K | $25–42K |
| Time to start | 1–2 weeks | 2–4 weeks | 4–12 months |
Full-time bands reflect the range we see quoted in searches we are asked to advise on. Treat them as a planning figure, not published market data.
Two tiers. Three seats.
Most start here
Standard
$12,000/ month · 2 days / week · 6-month minimum
- Executive-level AI leadership
- Weekly leadership participation
- Quarterly board presentation
- Vendor oversight and governance
- Roadmap ownership
- Monthly all-hands AI update
- Steering committee chair
Embedded
$22,000/ month · 4 days / week · 6-month minimum
- Everything in Standard
- On-site presence (travel included)
- Monthly board meeting participation
- Executive recruiting support
- Team hiring and onboarding
- P&L accountability for the AI budget
- Succession planning for a permanent CAIO
Only three Fractional CAIO engagements are accepted at a time. Direct access to Cory Maffeo at the executive level, both tiers.
Next step
Three seats. Say if one is open.
If a seat is open, we will say so. If it is not, we will recommend advisory or a later date.