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You need the judgment. You do not need the headcount.
A full-time head of AI runs $400–600K loaded, after a six-month search. Skip the role and AI stays a committee topic. The mid-market firm’s problem was never access to AI. Nobody senior is accountable for it.
- $10–25K a month, one to three days a week; end any month, keep everything
- Honest memo by day 30, first system moving by day 60, cadence installed by day 90
- Capacity capped at four clients
- The alternative: $400–600K loaded and a six-month search
Where this runs: private credit & specialty finance and life, annuity & pension risk transfer.
The seat, held at scale.
Managing Director of Data & AI at a multi-billion-dollar asset manager. The managed book grew 73% on that platform, and the annual AI strategy went to the CEO, COO, CIO and board.
For a more detailed track record, read the About page.
A senior AI executive in the seat, one to three days a week.
Led personally. Strategy, architecture and governance by our founder. Roadmap and build-vs-buy calls, vendor selection, hiring, model-risk oversight, board and LP reporting.
Run on a Value Realization Framework. Every initiative on one page, scored by financial impact, so the board conversation is about priorities rather than projects. A one-page value memo every month: what you paid for, what moved.
Terms. Quarterly to start, then month-to-month. End any month; everything built stays with you. Vendor Due Diligence available as a two-week standalone: a second opinion before you sign.
Outgrow it? Good outcome. We scope the full-time role, run the search through Your First AI Hire, and hand over a working program. Engineering ourselves out is the plan.
Diagnose, prove, install the cadence.
- Days 1–30Diagnose
- Data layer, live initiatives, team and vendors reviewed
- Interviews across the desks and the executive team
- Vendor contracts and pilots assessed against production reality
- Priorities ranked by financial impact
- An honest memo, including the parts you will not enjoy
- Days 31–60First proof
- One system chosen and moved toward production
- Build partner or internal team stood up and directed
- Roadmap sequenced by financial impact, with a business case
- Board or investment committee update drafted
- Days 61–90Cadence
- Governance running: evals, sign-off gates, action logs
- Weekly delivery rhythm your team owns
- Board reporting installed
- Hiring plan for the permanent seat, if you want one
- After that, the retainer is execution; end any month, keep everything
An honest memo by day 30, first system by day 60. $10–25K a month, end any month.
Book 30 minutes to scope the seat →Three ways to get senior AI judgment.
| Fractional seat | Full-time hire | Large consultancy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $10–25K a month, end any month | $400–600K a year all-in, severance to exit | $50–150K+ a month, program minimums |
| Time to start | Weeks | Six to nine months to land the right person | Weeks to staff, months to context |
| Who does the work | The person you met, personally | The person you hired, if the scoping was right | A rotating team; the partner sells, others deliver |
| What remains when it ends | Roadmap, systems, documentation, a trained team | Depends entirely on the hire | Slide decks and a renewal proposal |
When a full-time hire is the right answer, the seat ends with the search: see Your First AI Hire.
Asked on most first calls.
How much time do we actually get?
One to three days a week, set by tier: $10K a month at the light end, $25K at the heavy end. The monthly value memo shows what the time produced, which matters more than counting hours.
Can one retainer cover several portfolio companies?
Yes. Shared coverage under one sponsor is a common shape.
Who does the building?
Vetted specialists under our founder’s review, or your own team, or the hire we help you make. The judgment is the fractional part. The hands scale.
How much does fractional AI leadership cost?
$10–25K a month depending on days per week, against $400–600K all-in for the equivalent full-time hire. Quarterly to start, month-to-month after. End any month and keep everything: the roadmap, the systems, the documentation.