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AI Executive Search 2026

Chief AI Officer Executive Search

Find a CAIO headhunter (2026)

Find the right executive search firm for your Chief AI Officer hire. 4 specialist firms, 90–150 day typical timeline, 25–35% retainer fee.

Chief AI Officer executive search — find a CAIO headhunter and recruiter
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Looking for open CAIO and senior AI leadership roles with published salaries? Browse Chief AI Officer jobs — updated daily.

4 Firms
7 Cities
2 Tiers
4 Showing

Christian & Timbers

Tech Specialist

Pure-play tech. 5,000+ C-suite placements.

Exclusively technology and AI executive search with 40+ years of experience. Over 5,000 C-suite placements in technology roles. The largest pure-play tech executive search firm.

Roles
CTOCIOCISOVP Engineering +1
Offices
ClevelandNew YorkSan Francisco +1
Tech Focus AI/Data

Harnham

AI & Data

Data/AI pure-play. Growing US presence.

Data, analytics, and AI executive search exclusively. Covers CDO, VP of Data, Head of ML, and Chief AI Officer roles. The go-to specialist for data and AI leadership.

Roles
CDOVP DataHead of MLCAIO
Offices
LondonNew YorkSan Francisco +1
Tech Focus AI/Data

Talentfoot

AI & Data

Ranked #1 AI executive search (multiple rankings).

Digital, technology, and AI leadership search. Ranked among top AI executive search firms. Serves 2,500+ companies placing CAIOs, CDOs, and AI product leaders.

Roles
CAIOCDOVP AICTO
Offices
ChicagoNew YorkSan Francisco
Tech Focus AI/Data

Cowen Partners

AI & Data

Average placement in 6 weeks.

Boutique retained executive search with growing AI and CTO practice. Known for Chief AI Officer and data leadership placements at PE-backed and mid-market companies.

Roles
CTOCAIOCISOCOO
Offices
PortlandNew YorkChicago
Tech Focus AI/Data

Independent directory. Firms listed by tier and alphabetically within tier. Listings are not endorsements or rankings.

What to look for in a CAIO search firm

A CAIO search requires more than a firm that does "technology leadership" placements. The Chief AI Officer role spans AI strategy, governance, and cross-functional influence — a combination that most generalist executive search firms cannot properly assess. The right search partner needs to understand what the CAIO mandate actually entails.

AI domain expertise, not just technology leadership. The firm should be able to distinguish between a VP of Machine Learning, a Chief Data Officer, and a Chief AI Officer. These roles overlap but have different mandates. A CAIO owns AI strategy and governance at the enterprise level — the search firm needs to assess whether candidates have operated at that altitude, not just managed ML teams.

Experience evaluating diverse candidate backgrounds. CAIO candidates come from at least three distinct tracks: ML/AI engineering leadership (VP of AI, Head of ML), management consulting (McKinsey, BCG digital practices), and CTO/CDO tracks where AI was a major component. A search firm that only knows how to evaluate one of these backgrounds will miss strong candidates from the other two.

Understanding of AI governance. For companies in regulated industries — financial services, healthcare, insurance, government — AI governance expertise is a hard requirement for the CAIO role. The search firm should be able to evaluate a candidate’s depth on model risk management, algorithmic bias frameworks, EU AI Act compliance, and FDA AI/ML guidance. Firms without this regulatory fluency will surface candidates who can build AI products but cannot govern them.

Ability to define the mandate before starting the search. The best CAIO search firms push back on vague job descriptions. They will spend the first two weeks running stakeholder interviews to clarify what the company actually needs: Is the CAIO a strategy role or an execution role? Does the CAIO own AI engineering, or just AI governance and adoption? What is the reporting line — CEO, CTO, or board? A firm that starts sourcing before answering these questions will waste time and deliver mismatched candidates.

How a CAIO search differs from a CTO search

Companies that have run CTO searches before often assume a CAIO search follows the same playbook. It does not. The candidate pool is smaller, the backgrounds are more diverse, and the role definition is less standardized. These differences affect timeline, cost, and the type of search firm you need.

Dimension CTO Search CAIO Search
Candidate pool size Large (established role) Small (~8x fewer)
Average timeline 90–120 days 90–150 days
Background diversity Mostly engineering leaders ML, consulting, CTO tracks
Key assessment area Technical depth, team scaling Governance expertise, cross-functional influence
Hardest skill to find Combined business + technical depth Combined AI depth + governance + exec presence
Industry premium Moderate High in regulated industries
Mandate definition Well-established Often needs clarification

CAIO compensation benchmarks for search planning

Search fees are a percentage of total comp. These benchmarks help estimate your search budget.

Company Stage Base Salary Total Comp Search Fee (30%)
Seed / Series A $150K – $220K $200K – $400K $60K – $120K
Series B/C $250K – $320K $400K – $600K $120K – $180K
Growth / Pre-IPO $300K – $380K $500K – $800K $150K – $240K
Enterprise / Fortune 500 $320K – $400K $600K – $1M+ $180K – $300K+

For detailed salary benchmarks by stage, see the CAIO salary by company stage guide.

Current CAIO Openings with Salary Data

RoleCompanySalary RangeUSD Equiv.LocationType
Chief Technology Officer (AI Focus)Harvey Nash$200K–$260K—USRemoteView →
Director of Retail ApplicationsPastKendra Scott, Llc$213K–$213K—Austin, TX, US
Director of Supply ChainPastTaylor Farms Pacific, Inc.$201K–$201K—Tracy, CA, US
Senior Director of Scientific Affairs and ProductPastCuriox Biosystems, Inc.$161K–$161K—Woburn, MA, US
Director, Chief Executive Officer AffairsPastSan Francisco Foundation$194K–$194K—San Francisco, CA, US

Showing 5 roles with published salary bands. Data from job postings on LinkedIn, Hacker News, and Levels.fyi.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a CAIO executive search take?
A CAIO executive search typically takes 90 to 150 days — slightly longer than a CTO search because the candidate pool is smaller and the role definition varies more between companies. The first 4-6 weeks focus on aligning on the CAIO mandate (strategy vs governance vs adoption) and calibrating the candidate profile. Weeks 6-10 involve sourcing and outreach. Weeks 10-16 cover interviews, reference checks, and offer negotiation. The biggest delay is usually internal alignment on what the role should own.
What do CAIO headhunters charge?
CAIO executive search fees follow the same structure as CTO searches: 25-35% of first-year total compensation as a retainer fee. For a CAIO earning $420K in total comp, that translates to $105K-$147K in search fees. The retainer is collected in three installments. Given the smaller candidate pool, some firms charge a premium for CAIO searches, particularly in regulated industries where governance expertise is a hard requirement.
What makes a CAIO search different from a CTO search?
The candidate pool is much smaller — roughly 8x more CTO candidates than CAIO candidates. Backgrounds are also more diverse: CAIO candidates come from ML/AI leadership, management consulting, and CTO tracks, so the search firm is evaluating very different career profiles against the same mandate. And in regulated industries, governance expertise is a hard filter — the firm needs to assess AI governance depth, not just technical leadership.
How do I evaluate a search firm for a CAIO hire?
Start with AI domain expertise: does the firm understand the CAIO mandate and the difference between a VP of AI and a C-suite CAIO? Ask for relevant placements at similar companies. Probe their candidate network — can they reach passive CAIO candidates, including people in CDAO and VP of AI roles who might step up? For regulated industries, the firm should understand model risk management, EU AI Act, and FDA AI/ML guidance. Finally, watch how they handle mandate clarity: a good firm will push you to define the CAIO role before sourcing begins.
Can I hire a CAIO without a headhunter?
Possible but harder than hiring a CTO without one. The CAIO candidate pool is small, most qualified candidates are passive (not actively searching), and the role definition varies enough that matching requires specialized knowledge. Direct outreach works if you have a strong AI leadership network or if your VC firm has AI-focused operating partners who can make introductions. For most companies, a retained search firm will improve both the quality and speed of the hire.
Should I hire a fractional CAIO while running the search?
Yes — it works well. A fractional CAIO can define the mandate, build initial governance frameworks, and create the job description that the search firm uses. This reduces the search timeline because the firm starts with a clearly defined role instead of spending the first month on mandate alignment. The fractional CAIO can also participate in candidate evaluation, assessing technical and governance depth that HR usually cannot evaluate on its own.

Related guides

While running your CAIO search, consider a fractional CAIO to define the mandate and build governance foundations.

CAIO Salary Guide 2026 compensation data for Chief AI Officers CTO Executive Search Directory of CTO headhunters and search firms CTO Salary Guide 2026 compensation data by stage, metro, and industry Jobs Board Browse all open engineering and AI leadership positions

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