Chief AI Officer
- Canada
Compensation for this cohort ranges from $180K to $330K annually, depending on company stage and scope. · Full-time
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Job details
- Pay
- Compensation for this cohort ranges from $180K to $330K annually, depending on company stage and scope.
- Job type
- Full-time
- Posting language
- English
- Posted
Original job description
Axial Search is a specialist executive search firm built for one kind of hire: leaders who help organizations navigate AI transformation. Apply today to express your interest in roles like this one.
Visit our website to learn more about our process and explore free tools for your job search, including our live job market dashboard with salary, skills and hiring trend data from thousands of AI transformation roles.
What The Market Looks Like
We've tracked 12 executive-level AI strategy postings across Canada in the last six months, with concentration in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The strongest candidates bring a blend of hands-on AI/ML fluency and boardroom credibility: they've shipped AI initiatives end-to-end, can articulate business value in financial terms, and know how to govern risk and talent. Compensation for this cohort ranges from $180K to $330K annually, depending on company stage and scope. Technology, financial services, and professional services firms are leading the hiring.
Job Responsibilities
Visit our website to learn more about our process and explore free tools for your job search, including our live job market dashboard with salary, skills and hiring trend data from thousands of AI transformation roles.
What The Market Looks Like
We've tracked 12 executive-level AI strategy postings across Canada in the last six months, with concentration in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The strongest candidates bring a blend of hands-on AI/ML fluency and boardroom credibility: they've shipped AI initiatives end-to-end, can articulate business value in financial terms, and know how to govern risk and talent. Compensation for this cohort ranges from $180K to $330K annually, depending on company stage and scope. Technology, financial services, and professional services firms are leading the hiring.
Job Responsibilities
- Own the organization's AI strategy, from competitive positioning through roadmap execution and quarterly business reviews with the board or C-suite
- Lead AI/ML team recruitment, capability building, and retention; set technical standards and foster a culture of experimentation and accountability
- Partner with business units to identify high-impact AI use cases, prioritize investment, and measure ROI across pilots and production deployments
- Drive governance, risk, and compliance frameworks around model governance, data quality, and ethical AI; ensure alignment with regulatory requirements
- Manage vendor relationships and make or buy decisions on platforms, tools, and third-party AI services
- Communicate AI capability, progress, and market trends to executives, boards, and stakeholders; shape organizational readiness and change management
- Integrate AI strategy with existing digital and business transformation initiatives; work across finance, operations, and product teams
- 10+ years in AI/ML, data science, or data engineering; at least 5 years in a leadership role (director, VP, or Chief-level) responsible for strategy, team, and P&L
- Hands-on technical literacy: familiarity with model types (LLMs, classical ML, etc.), training and deployment pipelines, and data architecture; not required to code, but must review technical work credibly
- Proven track record shipping AI products or capabilities in production; experience scaling from proof-of-concept to enterprise deployment
- Experience navigating AI governance, model risk, bias, compliance, and ethical considerations in regulated or high-stakes environments
- Board or C-suite presentation skills; ability to translate technical complexity into business impact and secure executive buy-in
- Experience building and leading high-performing technical teams; comfort recruiting, retaining, and developing AI talent in a competitive market
More about this job
Responsibilities
Set and execute the organization’s AI strategy, lead AI/ML teams, and partner with business units to prioritize use cases and measure returns. Establish AI governance and compliance, manage vendors and investment decisions, and communicate progress while integrating AI with broader transformation initiatives.
Requirements
Requires 10+ years of AI/ML, data science, or data engineering experience, including at least five years in a senior leadership role with strategic, team, and P&L responsibility. Candidates need technical fluency and a record of scaling AI into production, along with governance experience, executive communication skills, and a track record of building high-performing teams.
Skills
- AI Strategy
- Machine Learning
- Data Science
- AI Governance
- Model Risk Management
- Ethical AI
- Data Quality
- AI/ML Team Leadership
- AI Product Deployment
- Business Case Development
- ROI Measurement
- Vendor Management
- Regulatory Compliance
- Executive Communication
- Change Management
- Talent Recruitment and Retention
Visa sponsorship
Not detected in the job text
Categories
- Technology
- Management & Leadership
- Data & Analytics
- Consulting
Keywords
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Large Language Models
- Classical Machine Learning
- Data Science
- Data Engineering
- AI Strategy
- AI Roadmap
- AI Governance
- Model Governance
- Model Risk
- Data Quality
- Ethical AI
- Regulatory Compliance
- AI/ML Pipelines
- Training and Deployment Pipelines
- Data Architecture
- AI Products
- Proof of Concept
- Enterprise Deployment
- Return on Investment
- Vendor Management
- Make-or-Buy Decisions
- Change Management
- Digital Transformation
- Business Transformation
- P&L