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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead AI initiatives and build cutting-edge AI systems for a revolutionary startup.
- Company: Exciting stealth AI recruitment startup with investor backing.
- Benefits: Earn equity, flexible hours, and the chance to become a founding CTO.
- Why this job: Transform your career by owning the AI vision from day one.
- Qualifications: Experience in AI engineering and a passion for innovation.
- Other info: Remote work with a dynamic team and significant growth potential.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Fractional CTO / Head of AI Engineering → AI Recruitment Startup | Pre-Seed
Job Title: Head of AI Engineering → CTO
Company: Stealth AI Startup (Pre-Seed, Investor-Backed)
Location: Remote (United Kingdom)
Seniority Level: Mid-Senior / Director
About the Role
We’re looking for a Head of AI Engineering who wants to become a CTO. You’re leading AI initiatives or building production AI systems. You understand LLMs, embeddings, RAG architectures. You’ve shipped AI products users depend on. But you’ve never owned the entire AI technical vision for a company from day one. This is that chance.
The Journey
Start fractional. End as founding CTO.
Months 1-6: Build AI MVP (Fractional)
- Work 2-3 days/week (keep your job)
- Design and build core AI matching engine
- Ship to real customers
- Make all AI architecture decisions
- Earn equity from day one
Months 6-12: Transition to CTO
- We close seed round
- You go full-time as founding CTO
Year 1+: Lead as CTO
- Build world-class AI team
- Own complete technical strategy
- Create category-defining AI systems
What You’ll Build
An AI-native matching system that understands executive leadership at unprecedented depth.
- LLM-powered semantic understanding of executive profiles and roles
- 95%+ matching accuracy with proprietary models
- Real-time inference at scale (<100ms>
- RAG pipelines for leadership experience understanding
- Predictive models for executive success and cultural fit
- Continuous learning systems
- LLMs: GPT-4, Claude 3.5, or fine-tuned models
- Cloud: AWS (SageMaker) or GCP (Vertex AI)
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years engineering with 3+ years production AI/ML
- Deep LLM expertise: Prompt engineering, fine-tuning, RAG, agent frameworks
- Hands‑on: OpenAI/Anthropic APIs or open‑source models
- Vector database experience (Pinecone, Weaviate, ChromaDB)
- Shipped AI products (not just prototypes)
- Available 2-3 days/week for 3-6 months
- UK or EU timezone
Preferred
- Currently Head of AI, AI Engineering Manager, or Tech Lead AI
- Experience with recommendation/matching/search systems
- ML Ops: monitoring, A/B testing
- AI startup experience or 0→1 initiatives
What We Offer Fractional Phase (Months 1-6)
- Competitive fractional day rate
- Meaningful early‑stage equity (vesting starts immediately)
- Complete AI technical autonomy
- Budget for AI tools and experimentation
Full‑Time CTO (Post‑Seed)
- Competitive CTO‑level salary for early‑stage startup
- Significant additional equity as founding CTO
- Hire and lead your AI team
- GPU/compute budget
- Conference budget (NeurIPS, AI Engineer Summit, etc.)
- Standard UK benefits package
Long‑Term
- Co‑founder level equity with life‑changing upside potential
- Founding CTO credentials
- Technical leadership growth
- Access to AI investor network and founder community
- Opportunity to publish research/open‑source
Why Now
The AI is ready: LLMs enable intelligent matching impossible 2 years ago.
The market is ready: £847B executive recruitment market running on 40‑year‑old processes. 12‑18 month searches → 6‑8 weeks. 60% success → 95% accuracy.
You’re ready: You’ve built enough AI systems to know what works. Perfect point to become CTO.
The Challenge
Build AI infrastructure that:
- Understands millions of executive profiles semantically
- Multi‑dimensional matching beyond keywords
- Learns continuously from every placement
- Scales globally with <100ms>
- Explainable AI for recruiters
This is genuinely hard AI engineering. That’s what makes it interesting.
Success Metrics
6 months: MVP live with 5 customers, 80%+ accuracy, 10K+ profiles processed
12 months: CTO of funded startup, 3‑5 AI engineers hired, 95%+ accuracy, 1M+ profiles
5 years: Most sophisticated AI‑native recruitment platform globally, recognized thought leader in applied AI
About Us
Pre‑seed AI startup building first AI‑native infrastructure for executive recruitment.
We Have
- Angel backing from experienced AI/SaaS investors
- Clear path to seed funding (Q2 2026)
- Validated need through 30+ customer interviews
In stealth but happy to share full details with serious candidates.
Our Philosophy
- AI‑first ≠ AI‑enhanced. Rebuilding from scratch.
- Production > research. Ship, monitor, iterate.
- The best CTOs are made. This role designs that path.
How to Apply
Send via LinkedIn or email:
- One AI system you shipped to production (brief)
- How you’d tackle executive matching (3‑4 sentences)
- Why Head of AI → CTO excites you now
Subject: \”Head of AI → CTO – [Your Name]\”
Response within 24‑48 hours for qualified candidates.
Interview Process
Fast & respectful of your time:
- Initial chat (30 min) – Mutual fit
- Building workshop (3‑4 hours) – Paid, regardless of outcome
- Final discussion (45 min) – Terms, compensation, equity, alignment
Timeline: 2 weeks from contact to offer
FAQ
\”Is this right for me as Head of AI?\” Yes. Designed for Heads of AI/AI Engineering Managers ready for CTO step.
\”Can I do this fractionally while employed?\” Yes. That’s the structure. Check your contract; many allow side work.
\”What if I haven’t managed large teams?\” You’ll start hands‑on, then hire 2‑3 engineers. Grow into larger teams.
\”Do I need fine‑tuning experience?\” Helpful but not required initially. Understanding when/why to fine‑tune is sufficient.
\”What about compensation?\” Competitive market rates for fractional work transitioning to founding CTO package. Full details shared with qualified candidates.
One Last Thing
The jump from Head of AI to CTO is one of tech’s hardest transitions.
Most Heads of AI never make it.
This role is designed to get you there.
You’ll learn to:
- Own complete technical strategy (not just AI)
- Make business tradeoffs with technical decisions
- Build and scale engineering organizations
- Work with customers and close enterprise deals
- Raise funding and pitch technical vision
If becoming a CTO is your next move, this is your path.
Click \”Apply\” or reach us on LinkedIn
\”The best CTOs aren\’t found. They\’re made.\”
Application Deadline: Rolling Start Date: Flexible (ideally 4‑6 weeks) Travel: Quarterly London meetings (expenses covered)
🚀 Your path from Head of AI to founding CTO. Apply now.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Fractional CTO / Head of AI Engineering → AI Recruitment Startup | Pre-Seed employer: Stealth Startup
Contact Detail:
Stealth Startup Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Fractional CTO / Head of AI Engineering → AI Recruitment Startup | Pre-Seed
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the AI and tech space, especially those who are already in leadership roles. Use platforms like LinkedIn to connect and engage with them; you never know who might have a lead on your dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your expertise! Create a portfolio or a personal website where you can highlight your past projects, especially those involving LLMs and AI systems. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and leadership skills. Be ready to discuss your vision for AI in a startup environment and how you can contribute to building a world-class team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’re all about connecting talent with opportunities, so make sure you check out our listings and submit your application directly. It’s a great way to get noticed!
We think you need these skills to ace Fractional CTO / Head of AI Engineering → AI Recruitment Startup | Pre-Seed
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for AI: When you're writing your application, let your enthusiasm for AI shine through! We want to see how your experience aligns with our mission and how you can contribute to building cutting-edge AI systems. Don't hold back on sharing your journey in the AI space!
Tailor Your CV and Cover Letter: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for this role. Highlight your experience with LLMs, embeddings, and any AI products you've shipped. We love seeing how your skills match what we're looking for, so make it easy for us to connect the dots!
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured applications that get straight to the heart of your qualifications. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read and understand your key achievements.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy – just follow the prompts and submit your materials!
How to prepare for a job interview at Stealth Startup
✨Know Your AI Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of LLMs, embeddings, and RAG architectures. Be ready to discuss how you've shipped AI products in the past and how you can apply that experience to build a matching engine for executive leadership.
✨Show Your Vision
This role is about owning the entire AI technical vision from day one. Think about how you would approach building an AI-native system and be prepared to share your ideas. Demonstrating a clear vision will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Highlight Your Leadership Skills
As a future CTO, you'll need to lead a world-class AI team. Share examples of how you've successfully led teams or projects in the past. Talk about your approach to mentoring and developing talent within your team.
✨Be Ready for Technical Questions
Expect some deep technical questions during the interview. Prepare to explain your decision-making process when it comes to AI architecture. Being able to articulate your thought process will show that you're not just knowledgeable but also strategic.