A fractional Chief AI Officer embedded in your firm — full leadership accountability for the AI program at a fraction of the full-time cost.
For finance firms that need a Chief AI Officer in the room but cannot yet justify a $400K+ full-time hire. $15,000–$25,000 per month, six-month minimum.
The problem this service solves
The Chief AI Officer role is becoming a board-level expectation at finance firms with material AI programs. Regulators want a named accountable executive. Boards want a single throat to choke on AI risk and AI outcomes. CFOs want budget accountability concentrated. But the full-time CAIO market is thin, candidates with finance plus AI plus regulatory experience are rare, and the comp band ($350K-$600K plus equity) is hard to justify until the program is bigger. The result is firms that need a CAIO in the room but do not have one — and the consequences (regulator concerns about ownership, board concerns about accountability, internal politics about who decides) show up at the worst possible time. The fractional CAIO fills that seat under contract, with full leadership accountability and a defined exit when a full-time hire is right.
What we deliver
Lead
The firm's AI program as the named executive accountable to the CEO and the board. Includes the CAIO seat in the executive committee and on the governance committee.
Own
Vendor selection, build/buy decisions, and quarterly program budget on the AI line. Decisions are signed by us within the operating-committee process; we are accountable, not advisory.
Report
Monthly to the executive committee, quarterly to the board's risk and audit committees. Carry the AI program update on every regulator exam and every annual report.
Hire
Build the internal AI team alongside the firm. Design the org chart, interview alongside HR, and define the role profile and comp band for the eventual full-time CAIO replacement.
Transition
Hand off to a full-time CAIO when the firm is ready — typically 12-24 months into the engagement. The transition plan is part of the engagement from month one.
How we work
Onboarding
Weeks 1-4Three onboarding weeks at higher cadence (weekly executive committee, working sessions with the CEO, COO, CFO, CCO). Output: signed-off charter that names the CAIO scope, reporting line, and decision rights.
Steady-state operation
Months 2-12+Weekly executive committee participation, monthly governance committee chair, quarterly board briefings, ongoing vendor and build/buy decisions. Bias toward decision speed; bias against committee theater.
Succession
Last 3 months of engagementActive CAIO search alongside the CEO and the board's CHRO. We participate in interviews, define the comp package, and run a 30-day transition with the named successor before disengaging.
What this is not
- ×We do not build, host, or resell tools. The fractional CAIO selects vendors and partners but does not become one.
- ×We do not write production code or staff the build team. The CAIO leads; engineers execute.
- ×We do not take this engagement at firms that are not ready for executive-level AI ownership. If the firm needs an assessment or a strategy engagement first, we say so before contracting.
- ×We do not stay forever. The engagement has a defined succession path; we are designing the role we will eventually hand off.
Pricing
$15,000 – $25,000 per month
$15,000/mo covers a single-LOB firm under $10B in assets with a focused AI program. Weekly executive committee participation plus monthly governance plus quarterly board briefing.
$25,000/mo covers a multi-LOB firm with regulatory complexity, multiple priority programs, and twice-weekly executive committee participation. Includes the active CAIO hiring search in the back end of the engagement.
6-month minimum commitment. Renewals quarterly thereafter, 60-day notice on either side. Paid monthly in advance. Equity participation not available — this is a fee engagement, not a co-founder seat.
Recent representative work
Engagements anonymized for confidentiality. Marked cases are illustrative composites; unmarked cases are live engagements.
Regional bank
$12B in assets, OCC-supervisedIllustrativeSituation: Bank had a board mandate to stand up an AI program but had been unable to recruit a full-time CAIO at the comp band the board approved. The CEO needed a named accountable executive before the next OCC exam.
Delivered: Filled the CAIO seat under contract for 18 months. Stood up the governance committee, ran the first two regulator-exam AI updates, drafted the model risk management addendum, and hired the full-time CAIO in month 16 with a 30-day transition.
Outcome: OCC exam closed without an AI program finding. Board's risk committee chair publicly attributed the clean exam to having named AI ownership in place. Permanent CAIO is now 8 months into the role.
Insurance carrier
$8B annual GWP, multi-state P&CIllustrativeSituation: Carrier had three AI workflows in production but no executive ownership, and the actuarial leadership and the claims leadership disagreed on who should own AI governance. Decisions were stalling.
Delivered: Took the CAIO seat for 12 months. Wrote the governance committee charter explicitly resolving the actuarial-vs-claims ownership question. Chaired the committee. Briefed the NAIC examination team on the carrier's AI governance frame.
Outcome: Two additional priority workflows shipped under the new governance frame. NAIC examination noted the governance frame as a model practice in the closing letter. Internal CAIO was hired in month 13.
Common questions
Is this a real executive role or an advisor with a title?
Real executive role. The fractional CAIO holds the seat on the executive committee, signs off on vendor decisions, and is the named accountable executive in regulator communications. Not advisory.
How much time per week do you actually spend with our firm?
At the $15K tier, roughly one full day per week plus async availability. At the $25K tier, roughly two days per week. Specific schedule is set in the onboarding charter and is responsive to the firm's operating cadence.
What happens when we hire a full-time CAIO?
The succession plan is in the engagement from month one. We participate in the search, define the comp package, interview the finalists alongside the CEO and CHRO, and run a 30-day transition with the named successor. The engagement closes at the end of that transition.
Can we use the fractional CAIO arrangement for regulator filings and exam preparation?
Yes. The fractional CAIO is the named accountable executive for AI in regulator communications, examination prep, and audit response. This is one of the reasons firms engage in the first place.
Need a Chief AI Officer in the room before you can hire one?
Send a one-page brief to pat@clearhaven.ai or book a 30-minute discovery call. We will respond within one business day with a fit assessment.