Head of AILead AI across a company

Head of AI roles: setting strategy, priorities and guardrails, without being the engineer.

Last updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 live jobs

What does a Head of AI at a non-AI company do?

A Head of AI at a company that isn't an AI company owns the AI strategy: where to use it, what to buy, how to govern it and how to get the organisation ready. It is a leadership role, closer to a COO or transformation director than to a chief scientist.

Set the AI strategy and choose the first priorities.
Decide what to buy, what to build and who builds it.
Own AI governance, risk and policy with legal and IT.
Lead or coordinate a small team of enablement and implementation people.
Report value and risk to the board.

Which job titles mean the same job?

Employers use many titles for this work. These usually describe the same kind of role: Head of AI, Director of AI, AI Lead, AI Strategy Lead, Head of AI Adoption, Chief AI Officer (larger organisations).

Head of AIDirector of AIAI LeadAI Strategy LeadHead of AI AdoptionChief AI Officer (larger organisations)

See the glossary for every title we track.

What does it pay in the UK?

In the 4 live listings of this type on this site that show pay (out of 5), advertised salaries run from £45,000 to £110,000 a year and contract rates run from £800 to £1,000 a day. That is a small sample from ads checked on 23 Oct 2026, not a salary survey.

Role	Location	Advertised pay
Head of AI (contract)	London	£800–£1,000 a day
Head of AI	Preston	£90,000–£100,000
Head of AI Adoption	London	£45,000–£65,000
AI Strategy Lead	Remote	£75,000–£110,000

Do you need to be technical?

Not deeply. The Head of AI roles we list ask for strategic, leadership and governance experience, and a solid grasp of what AI can and cannot do. Some value a technical background, but day to day the work is decisions, people and priorities.

How do you move into it from ops, HR, marketing or finance?

Usually a step up from leading digital transformation, operations, data or innovation. Owning a company-wide AI rollout, or a governance framework, is the clearest evidence for these roles.

Where are these jobs?

Right now there are 5 live roles of this type on this site. By location: London (2), Remote (2), Elsewhere in the UK (1).

Live jobs

5 Head of AI roles, checked live on 23 Oct 2026.

AI in titleHead of AI · 4 days ago

Head of AI (contract)

UK investment firm (via Harnham) · London

Commercial six-month contract defining and delivering AI strategy across an investment firm and its portfolio companies.

£800–£1,000 a dayApply on Reed

AI in titleHead of AI · 17 days ago

Director of AI

Brighton College · Brighton

Leads a school’s AI programme across curriculum and staff, open to teaching and non-teaching candidates.

Pay not listedApply on Reed

AI in titleHead of AI · 17 days ago

Head of AI

Local Pensions Partnership · Preston (hybrid or remote)

Sets how AI is introduced, governed and scaled across a large pensions administrator, working with the CTO and executive team.

£90,000–£100,000Apply on Reed

AI in titleHead of AI · 25 days ago

Head of AI Adoption

techUK · London

Leads techUK's work helping its 1,200-plus member organisations, mostly SMEs, adopt AI.

£45,000–£65,000Apply on Reed

AI in titleHead of AI · 35 days ago

AI Strategy Lead

Workforce solutions business (via Tenth Revolution Group) · Remote (UK)

The first dedicated AI leader in a global workforce solutions business, shaping AI strategy and governance with the executive team.

£75,000–£110,000Apply on Reed