AI operator job description template
Updated 28 September 2026 · copy it, or post it in one click
A job description that attracts real operators says what they will own, what they will move in-house, and what they will earn. Here is one to start from. Replace what is in brackets.
title
AI Operator (or Head of AI, AI Operations Manager, Chief AI Officer for a C-suite seat, Fractional AI Operator for two or three days a week)
about the role
[Company] is a [size] [industry] business. We run on a dozen subscriptions, two agencies and more spreadsheets than we’d like. We’re hiring our first AI operator to own how the business runs on software and AI: to move the important systems in-house, build agents that do real work, and get us ready for customers who order through their own AI assistants.
what you’ll do
- Map where our time and money go, and pick the first three things to change.
- Move [ordering / quoting / stock / bookings] onto systems we own.
- Build and run agents and automations, and track what they cost and where they fail.
- Make our products and availability readable by AI assistants, through clean data and open protocols such as MCP.
- Keep it safe and lawful: access, secrets, audit trail, GDPR.
- Teach the team to work with it.
what you’ll need
- Agents and automations: strong.
- Data, pipelines and retrieval: good.
- Security for AI systems: good.
- Software architecture, enough to decide what to build and what to buy: good.
- Knowledge of [industry] is a real plus.
pay
$[140,000]–$[180,000] a year, full-time, or the same rate part-time.
one question
What would you move in-house first, and why?
What makes a post work
- Say what they’ll own. “Run our AI” attracts nobody. “Move ordering and stock off three subscriptions onto our own system” attracts the right person.
- Show the pay. Every post here shows a range; it’s the first thing operators read.
- Name the level, honestly. Asking for expert in everything shrinks the field to nobody. Pick the two or three areas that matter.
- Ask one real question. A good answer tells you more than a CV. Operators apply here without their name, so the answer and their record are what you judge.
- Choose the seat. A hands-on first hire, a head of AI with a team, or a chief AI officer: the scope and the pay follow from it.
Which title to use
Use the one your candidates search for. AI Operator says exactly what the job is. Head of AI and AI Operations Manager read as leading a small team. Chief AI Officer is for a seat at the top table. Fractional AI Operator tells people it’s part-time. More on what the job is.