A senior AI lead, without a full-time hire
A senior AI lead for your business, a set number of days each month. We own your AI roadmap, choose and manage suppliers, make sure what you run is controlled and measured, and deliver or oversee the build work, so you get senior AI judgement without hiring a full-time head of AI.
Service 10
No 17040048
Retained
From £3,000 a month
Monthly, agreed days
Based on two days a month. Three-month minimum, then rolling with a month's notice. Build work beyond the agreed days is quoted separately.
Who it is for
- Businesses spending on AI tools and pilots without anyone senior owning the results.
- Leadership teams who need a clear AI plan and someone accountable for delivering it.
- Companies that want senior AI judgement before they are ready for a full-time hire.
What the work covers
A roadmap the business agrees to
In the first month we take an inventory of the AI already in use, including the tools staff signed up for on their own. From that we draft a roadmap: where AI is worth doing, in what order, what each step costs and how we will know it worked. It is agreed with your leadership team, not handed down, and reviewed each quarter against what actually happened. Items that stop making sense come off the list, because a roadmap is only useful while it reflects the business as it is now.
Supplier and tool choices
Most businesses are offered more AI tools than they can evaluate. We compare the options against your actual task, test the shortlist on your own examples, and read the data and contract terms before you sign: where data goes, whether it is used for training, what happens when you leave. We are not tied to any vendor and disclose any commercial relationship with a supplier first. The aim is tools that fit the work, with an exit route you would be comfortable using.
Delivery and oversight
This role is hands-on. Within the agreed days we build smaller pieces of work ourselves, such as an automation, an integration or an evaluation set, and we oversee the rest when your team or a supplier is building. Oversight means reviewing designs before work starts, checking what is delivered against what was agreed, and testing it on real cases before it goes live. Larger builds are scoped and quoted separately so the retainer stays focused on owning the overall result.
The AI register and controls
We keep a register of every AI system the business runs: what it does, who owns it, what data it sees, which supplier provides it and what checks are in place. When something new is adopted it goes on the register before it goes live. For each system we agree proportionate controls, such as approval points, human handover or scheduled evaluation runs. The register gives your leadership team, and anyone who asks, a current answer to the question of what AI you use and how it is controlled.
Monthly reporting
Each month you receive a short report in plain English: what was done, what it cost, what changed in the register, any problems found and what is planned next. It is written for the leadership team, not for engineers, and it ties spend to the roadmap so you can see where the money went and why. The report also gives the monthly review a fixed agenda, which keeps decisions moving between the quarterly roadmap reviews.
Where the role focuses
These are illustrations of the kind of work, not client results.
An AI roadmap with costs
Where AI is worth doing in your business, in what order, with costs and measures agreed with the leadership team. Example only.
Supplier choices and contracts
Evaluating tools and vendors, checking data terms, and avoiding lock-in you would regret. Example only.
Delivery and controls
Running or overseeing the builds, and keeping every AI system registered, tested and under control. Example only.
What you get
Whatever your business runs. We are not tied to any AI vendor, and any commercial relationship with a supplier we recommend is disclosed to you first.
- 01An AI roadmap agreed with your leadership team, reviewed quarterly.
- 02Supplier and tool decisions, with data and contract terms checked.
- 03An AI register of what you run, with owners and controls kept current.
- 04Delivery of agreed work within the monthly days, or oversight of your team or suppliers.
- 05A short monthly report: what was done, what it cost, what changed and what is next.
What changes
- One senior person accountable for AI across the business.
- A roadmap with costs and measures, agreed by the leadership team and reviewed each quarter.
- A current register of every AI system, with owners and controls.
- Supplier decisions made on your examples and with the contract terms read.
- A monthly view of what AI is costing and what it is delivering.
How it runs
- Two days a month, from £3,000 a month.
- A short monthly report and review with your sponsor.
- A quarterly roadmap review with the leadership team.
- Three-month minimum, then rolling with a month's notice.
- Delivered personally by Paul Redman, our founder.
What you supply
- A named sponsor in the leadership team.
- Access to the people, systems and spend involved in AI.
- Regular time with the decision makers, usually a short monthly review.
Limits
- A set number of days a month, not unlimited availability or out-of-hours support.
- Not legal advice. We work alongside your legal and compliance advisers.
- Larger builds are scoped and quoted separately, so the retainer stays focused on leadership.
How it works
- 01
Fit call
A 20-minute call to understand where AI sits in your business today.
- 02
First month
An inventory of AI in use, quick wins, and a draft roadmap.
- 03
Monthly
Agreed days of delivery and oversight, with a short report each month.
- 04
Quarterly
Roadmap reviewed against results with the leadership team.
Who you get
Evidence from our own work
Paul Redman, our founder: 25 years of software engineering, and the person who designed, built and runs ReplyOS, ReplyBench, ReplyScore and Slipmark. The retainer is delivered by him, not passed to a junior team.
About Paul RedmanWhere it fits
Many businesses start with a diagnostic, and as AI becomes strategic the role can move to executive level as a fractional Chief AI Officer, or run alongside one.
Questions before you start
How much does a fractional AI lead cost?
From £3,000 a month, based on two days a month, with a three-month minimum and then rolling with a month's notice.
What is a fractional AI lead?
A senior person who owns your AI strategy, suppliers, controls and delivery for a set number of days each month, instead of a full-time hire.
Can the days change?
Yes. Days can be adjusted month to month with notice, and larger pieces of work can be quoted separately.
Are you tied to any AI supplier?
No. We recommend what suits your business and data rules, and disclose any commercial relationship with a supplier before you decide.
What is the next step?
Tell us where AI sits in your business in the contact form. We arrange a 20-minute call to see whether a retainer fits.
What happens in the first month?
We take an inventory of the AI already in use, identify quick wins and draft a roadmap for the leadership team to agree. By the end of the first month you have a register of what you run and a plan for what comes next.
Should we hire a full-time head of AI instead?
Not usually at first. A fractional lead suits businesses that need senior AI ownership but not five days a week of it. If the work grows to justify a full-time hire, we can help define the role and hand over the roadmap, register and supplier decisions to that person.
Do you work with our existing IT supplier?
Yes. We work alongside your IT supplier or internal team, agree who owns what, and oversee AI work they deliver. The role adds AI ownership rather than replacing the people who run your systems day to day.
Tell us what needs to work better.
Describe the process and the tools involved. If it looks like a fit we will arrange a 20-minute call.