Head of Artificial Intelligence

Harnham; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 280,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading startup in San Francisco seeks a Head of AI to establish and lead its artificial intelligence function. This pivotal role requires 7–10+ years in AI/ML, ideally with a startup background. The candidate will shape the AI strategy, lead the team, and ensure responsible AI practices from day one. This is a hands-on position focused on building scalable AI/ML systems. The role is hybrid, prioritizing in-person collaboration during early team formation.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years in AI/ML with experience deploying systems.
• Track record of shipping AI products in a startup.
• Deep understanding of LLMs and ML frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Own the AI strategy and roadmap.
• Design and deploy AI/ML models.
• Lead the AI organization and establish team structure.
• Collaborate with teams to identify AI opportunities.

Skills

AI/ML experience

Product shipping in startup

Leadership

Ability to operate in ambiguity

Understanding of LLMs

Education

Advanced degree in ML/CS

Job description

Start-up‑Focused Role - $280,000-$320,000 + Equity

About the Role

A fast‑moving startup is seeking a Head of AI to build and lead its artificial intelligence function from the ground up. This is a high‑ownership role designed for someone who thrives in early‑stage environments, moves quickly, and is excited to shape both technical direction and company culture.

What You’ll Do

• Own the entire AI strategy and roadmap, guiding the evolution from early prototypes to scalable production systems.
• Design, train, fine‑tune, and deploy AI/ML models end‑to‑end, remaining hands‑on through early growth phases.
• Build and lead the AI organization — hiring, mentoring, and establishing team structure and best practices.
• Rapidly experiment and iterate, balancing scrappy execution with thoughtful long‑term architecture.
• Establish all AI infrastructure, including data pipelines, training workflows, model hosting, and MLOps foundations.
• Collaborate closely with founders and product/engineering teams to identify high‑impact AI opportunities.
• Implement responsible AI practices from day one, ensuring safety, reliability, robustness, and transparency.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging AI technologies, including LLMs, agentic systems, and multimodal architectures.
• Set standards for experimentation, evaluation, benchmarking, and deployment, optimizing for speed and quality.

What Makes You a Great Fit

• 7–10+ years in AI/ML with significant hands‑on experience building and deploying real systems.
• A track record of shipping AI products or infrastructure in a startup or small‑team environment.
• Deep understanding of LLMs, modern ML frameworks, retrieval systems, data engineering, and model evaluation.
• Ability to move fast while maintaining strong engineering discipline.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and making high‑impact decisions without perfect information.
• Natural leadership instincts with the ability to both set vision and execute.
• Advanced degree in ML/CS or equivalent practical experience.

Bonus Experience

• Previous experience as a founding ML engineer or early technical leader.
• Direct experience training, fine‑tuning, or analyzing LLMs, multimodal models, or agents.
• Familiarity with lightweight startup‑friendly ML infrastructure (e.g., serverless inference, vector search, lean MLOps).
• Demonstrated ability to build quickly while maintaining high safety and reliability standards.

Location

San Francisco, CA — hybrid role; in‑person collaboration preferred during early team formation.

Head of AI — San Francisco, CA