Your AI lead, on contract
Companies are posting six-figure roles for someone to lead AI: find the opportunities, decide what to build, get it into people's hands and connect it to how the business runs. We do that job for you, as a team of two, starting in weeks instead of after a months-long search.
The job, done
An AI lead role usually covers three things. We cover all three.
Lead the work
Someone has to own AI day to day. That is us.
- Own delivery across every AI workstream, with clear priorities and owners
- Run working sessions with your leadership team, challenge assumptions and bring structure to messy problems
- Make practical calls in ambiguous situations instead of waiting for direction
- Keep the bigger objective in view and make the next step obvious
Turn ideas into working tools
From a promising idea to something people use every week.
- Sit with the people doing the work to understand the workflow before proposing anything
- Size each opportunity by value, effort, risk and dependencies, then decide what to build first and what to cut
- Prototype quickly with current AI tools, agents and automations so you see it working before you commit
- Lead specialist engineers when the build needs them, and translate between the business and the technology
Connect it to the business
AI only pays off when the work around it changes too.
- Build the business case and roadmap your leadership team can stand behind
- Plan the process changes, training and governance that make adoption stick
- Turn what worked in one team into how the whole company operates
- Say so when the answer is not another AI product
Three ways to fill the role
Hire someone, bring in a large firm, or bring us in. Here is how they compare.
| Full-time AI lead | Large consulting firm | Webber Hughes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Three to six months to recruit, then more to ramp up | Weeks, after proposals and procurement | Weeks |
| Who does the work | One person, usually without engineers behind them | A mixed team, often junior staff under a senior lead | Both founders on every engagement, with specialist engineers when needed |
| Year-one cost | Roughly $200K to $265K once salary, bonus, benefits and recruiting are counted | Priced for enterprise budgets, typically billed by the hour | A fixed, scoped price agreed up front |
| Commitment | Permanent headcount | A fixed engagement, then follow-on proposals | Scoped work you can expand, pause or end |
| When it ends | Knowledge can leave with the person | The team rolls off | Everything documented, every account in your name |
Year-one hiring cost based on publicly posted base salaries of $130K to $170K for AI lead roles, plus an assumed 10% bonus, 25% for benefits and payroll taxes, and a 20% recruiting fee.
What progress looks like
A typical first engagement. Every business moves at its own pace, but you should see results within the first quarter.
Leadership aligned on objectives. Current workflows, tools and data reviewed. A short list of opportunities sized by value, effort and risk, with a first project chosen.
The first workflows live and in use. Each role trained on its own work. Simple measures in place so you can see what is changing.
Adoption spreading across teams, a roadmap updated from real results, and evidence in hand for every renewal and next investment.
Still hiring, or already hired?
Start now, hire later
We carry the work while you search, so progress doesn't wait on a candidate. When you're ready to hire, we help write the role, interview candidates and hand over a working program with documentation.
Back up your new AI lead
A first AI hire often works alone. We work alongside them as senior support, give them an engineering bench for bigger builds and help them win over the rest of the leadership team.
Decide with the facts
One conversation about your goals usually makes it clear whether you need a full-time hire, outside help, or a mix of both. We'll tell you honestly which fits.
We use what we recommend
We work with AI every day and build our own workflows before recommending anything to a client. That's how we know the difference between a polished demo and a tool that holds up on a busy Tuesday.
How we work with you
- We own the outcome, not just the advice
- Senior people in every meeting
- Straight answers, including "you don't need this"
- Progress measured in results, not activity
Questions about hiring
All questions →Should we hire a full-time AI lead instead?
Eventually, maybe. A strong AI lead commands a six-figure salary, takes months to find and usually arrives without engineers behind them. We do that job on contract from the first month, and if you decide to hire later, we help write the role, interview candidates and hand over a working program.
We already posted an AI role. Does this still make sense?
Often, yes. We can carry the work while you search, so momentum does not wait on a hire. If you have already filled the role, we work alongside that person as senior support and an engineering bench, which is often what decides whether a first AI hire succeeds.
How do you handle data privacy and AI governance?
From the start. We set clear rules on which data each tool can see, keep every account in your name, flag privacy and compliance questions for the right people on your side, and document how each workflow works so nothing becomes a black box.