Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO)

Callan Hawkins; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Job summary

Callan Hawkins is seeking a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer to shape and drive the company's AI vision, turning advanced AI, ML, and generative capabilities into scalable business growth.

You will lead the enterprise-wide AI strategy, oversee end-to-end AI products, ensure regulatory and data privacy compliance, and guide the AI organization across the GCC with executives and partners to deliver high-impact use cases.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in CS/AI/ML with mastery of LLMs, computer vision, data architecture and MLOps.
• 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience with international exposure, including 4+ years scaling enterprise AI/ML initiatives.
• Strong ability to translate technical concepts into business strategy, ROI, and change management.
• Solid understanding of GCC tech ecosystem dynamics, regional AI mandates, and data residency requirements.

Responsibilities

• Formulate and execute a holistic enterprise AI strategy aligned with growth goals across the GCC.
• Oversee end-to-end AI product lifecycle from ideation to deployment and integration.
• Define compliance, data privacy, and ethical AI frameworks to mitigate risk and ensure data sovereignty.
• Collaborate with CEO/CTO/CIO to identify and embed high-impact AI use cases across units.
• Direct investments in models, HPC, cloud infra and data pipelines for scalable AI capabilities.
• Build and nurture a world-class team of AI researchers, ML engineers, and data scientists.

Skills

LLMs

Computer Vision

Data Architecture

MLOps

Education

Master's or PhD in CS/AI/ML

Job description

The Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer will define and drive the organization's overarching AI vision, translating cutting-edge artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative capabilities into scalable, enterprise-grade business growth.

Job Responsibilities will include:

• Formulate and execute a holistic enterprise AI strategy aligned with company growth goals and regional digital transformation initiatives across the GCC.
• Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of AI products and models, from ideation and infrastructure selection (build vs. buy) to full-scale deployment and integration.
• Define robust regulatory compliance, data privacy, and ethical AI frameworks to mitigate risk, ensuring compliance with global and regional data sovereignty standards.
• Collaborate closely with executive leadership (CEO, CTO, CIO) to identify, prioritize, and embed high-impact AI use cases across business units.
• Direct investments in foundational models, high-performance computing, cloud infrastructure, and data pipelines to maintain scalable and cost-effective AI capabilities.
• Cultivate a world-class team of AI researchers, ML engineers, and data scientists while nurturing strategic alliances with leading global tech vendors and research institutes.

Key Skills & Qualifications Required:

• Must have advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D. preferred) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or related fields, with mastery over LLMs, computer vision, data architecture, and MLOps.
• Must have 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience with international experience, including a proven track record of minimum 4 years in scaling enterprise AI/ML initiatives from technical concept to commercial execution.
• Exceptional capability to bridge technical complexity with high-level business strategy, ROI optimization, risk management, and organizational change management.
• Strong grasp of GCC tech ecosystem dynamics, regional AI mandates, digital transformation roadmaps, and local data residency and sovereignty requirements.