Tech
What is a Head of Generative AI?
Complete job description for your hiring: role and missions, required skills, training, salary, and career paths
The Head of Generative AI drives the strategy and rollout of generative AI solutions (LLMs, diffusion, image, audio, or video generation).
It's a hybrid role between product leadership, R&D, and AI strategy.
Why is this role emerging?
Since 2023, generative AI has been transforming every profession, from content to data, from code to creative work.
Companies are therefore looking for a leader capable of structuring this transition, identifying the right use cases, and bridging GenAI's promises with business reality.
The Head of Generative AI's missions
- Define the company's generative AI vision and roadmap.
- Identify and prioritize high-impact use cases.
- Lead technical teams (ML, Data, R&D) and external partners.
- Ensure compliance (GDPR, security, intellectual property).
- Track the rapid evolution of the AI ecosystem (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Meta, etc.) to anticipate opportunities.
Their role in the company
This is often a cross-functional role, between product, tech, and executive leadership.
They act as the conductor of AI strategy and guarantor of the quality, performance, and ethics of the models used.
Key skills of the Head of Generative AI
- Solid foundations in machine learning and deep learning.
- Mastery of LLMs (GPT, Claude, Mistral, Llama, etc.) and frameworks (LangChain, Hugging Face, OpenAI API).
- Product vision and the ability to make AI topics accessible.
- Leadership and pedagogy.
Training & salary
Profile often from an engineering school, with 8–15 years of experience in AI or tech product.
Salary: 100–180K€, depending on the size and maturity of the organization.
Possible career paths
Chief AI Officer, CTO, or founder of an AI lab.