Permanent Chief AI Officer recruitment risk-free

Chief AI Officer and Head of AI recruitment firm for startups and scale-ups.

CO-CTO recruits your permanent Chief AI Officer or Head of AI.

1 week

For the first profiles

+700

CTOs and AI leaders in the collective

98%

Client satisfaction

Where our CTOs have worked

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Hiring a Chief AI Officer, a role that is still loosely defined

The role is recent, and every company puts something different into it. Without scoping, you hire a brilliant profile who does not match where you want to bring AI in.

You do not know what scope to give the role, or what level of seniority to aim for

Hard to assess a candidate on AI when nobody masters the subject in-house

Chief AI Officer, Head of AI, Lead AI: the titles blur together

You do not know what salary to offer

An AI recruitment firm led by CTOs and AI leaders

At CO-CTO, every recruitment is led by an experienced CTO or AI leader backed by our collective of 700+ members. They take part in scoping the need, writing the job description and running the interviews.

Generalist firm

Hiring on your own

CO-CTO

Assessment of candidatesRarelyDepends on your teamBy an experienced CTO or AI leader
Access to off-market profilesLimitedYour network700+ CTOs and AI leaders
First profilesVariableVariableWithin a week
Follow-up after signingRareNoThrough the end of the probation period (with a re-sourcing guarantee)

The right profile for your ground

The profile to hire depends on where you bring AI into the company.

AI in the product

You want to inject AI into your product to create a new edge: an AI feature, an embedded copilot, using your data, a new use case that changes your value proposition.

Profile required: Product-oriented. Able to turn an AI use case into a shipped, measurable feature.

AI in the tech and product teams

You want to embed AI in your tech and product team processes: agent fleets, orchestration, code copilots, delivery automation, spec writing...

Profile required: Engineering, hands-on. Can architect and productionize agent systems at scale.

AI across the whole company

You want to spread AI across every department to automate tasks: support, marketing, finance, HR, operations.

Profile required: Cross-functional. Comfortable with both business and tech, able to bring non-technical teams on board.

Our 5-step recruitment method

1

We dig into your needs together

Week 1

  • ·Scoping workshop with a CTO or an AI leader
  • ·Analysis of your AI ground: product, tech teams or the whole company
  • ·We write the job description with you
  • ·Chief AI Officer, Head of AI or Lead AI: we define the right level
2

We activate the network

Week 1

  • ·Activating the CO-CTO collective (700+ CTOs and AI leaders)
  • ·Targeted headhunting beyond our pool if needed
  • ·First profiles within about a week
3

We vet every candidate

Ongoing

  • ·Reference checks
  • ·Assessment of experience on AI projects taken through to production
  • ·You only meet profiles validated by a CTO or an AI leader
4

We fine-tune as we go

Weeks 2 to 8

Your feedback on the first candidates helps us adjust the profile.

  • ·Debrief after each interview
  • ·Profile adjusted if needed
  • ·Iterating until the right fit
5

We stay with you through probation

First 3 months

  • ·Regular steering committee
  • ·Support through the first 3 months
  • ·Free re-sourcing if probation isn't validated

How we assess a Chief AI Officer

On paper, many AI profiles look alike. In the interview, a CTO or an AI leader from the collective checks what makes the difference:

  • the ability to define an AI strategy and prioritise use cases
  • experience of AI projects taken through to production
  • managing data, ML and AI teams
  • managing the risks: bias, GDPR, security
  • the ability to bring teams on board, early adopters and reluctant ones alike
  • verified references

Permanent or fractional Chief AI Officer?

A permanent hire makes sense when AI becomes a lasting strategic priority: several initiatives under way, a data or ML team to lead, strong competitive pressure.

A fractional Chief AI Officer is a better fit when you need to structure fast, or when the need does not yet justify a full-time role. A CTO or an AI leader from the collective then works 1 to 3 days a week.

Discover the fractional Chief AI Officer

Questions fréquentes

FAQ

Our fee is 25% of the recruited candidate's gross annual salary, within the range of specialist firms (15 to 30%). It covers the assessment by a CTO or an AI leader from the collective, the follow-up through the first 3 months and the re-sourcing guarantee if the probation period is not validated.

The first qualified profiles arrive within about a week. We then adjust the search based on your feedback on those first candidates. The full process, from scoping to signing, generally takes 4 to 8 weeks.

That is the role of the CTO or AI leader from the collective who follows your recruitment. They run the interview and report back their assessment of each candidate: AI strategy, projects taken to production, management and risk management.

They are largely the same responsibilities under different titles. Chief AI Officer is the C-level title, used mostly in larger companies. Head of AI is the most common in startups and scale-ups. Lead AI often refers to a more hands-on profile, close to the technical teams. The scoping stage is there to pick the right level for your stage.

We restart the recruitment at no extra cost. We also provide regular follow-up through the first 3 months so that the onboarding goes well.

It is not mandatory, but it helps when the scope of the role is unclear. A 2 to 5 day AI audit measures your real maturity and helps define the right profile.

A permanent hire fits when AI is a lasting priority and the role has enough to fill a full-time schedule. A fractional Chief AI Officer answers a structuring phase, or companies that do not yet have the budget for a full-time Chief AI Officer.

Let's talk about your AI recruitment

A 30-minute conversation, no commitment.