Chief AI Risk Officer (CAIRO)

Title	Chief AI Risk Officer (CAIRO)
Department	Enterprise Risk Management / AI Governance / Executive Leadership
Reports to	[Chief Executive Officer / Chief Risk Officer / Board Risk Committee]
Location	[Remote / Hybrid / On-site]
Employment type	Full-time
Salary	[Salary range. Postings with a range perform significantly better, and several states require one.]

Position overview

The Chief AI Risk Officer (CAIRO) provides executive leadership for [Company]'s enterprise AI risk management program. This role is responsible for identifying, assessing, mitigating, monitoring, and reporting risks associated with artificial intelligence systems throughout their lifecycle.

The CAIRO partners closely with executive leadership, legal, compliance, cybersecurity, privacy, data governance, technology, internal audit, and business leaders to ensure AI technologies are deployed responsibly, ethically, securely, and in alignment with organizational objectives and regulatory requirements.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into business operations, the Chief AI Risk Officer serves as the organization's senior authority on AI risk governance and helps build a culture of responsible innovation.

Key responsibilities

Enterprise AI risk strategy

• Develop and execute the enterprise AI Risk Management Framework.
• Establish organizational AI risk appetite and tolerance levels.
• Integrate AI risk into Enterprise Risk Management (ERM).
• Present AI risk updates to executive leadership and the Board.
• Develop AI governance policies and enterprise standards.
• Build a long-term roadmap for AI risk maturity.

AI risk assessments

Lead enterprise assessments involving generative AI, machine learning models, autonomous systems, third-party AI vendors, foundation models, large language models (LLMs), AI agents, and decision automation systems. Evaluate risks including:

• Bias and discrimination, hallucinations, and model drift
• Data quality, privacy, and intellectual property
• Security, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience
• Reputational impact, third-party risk, and human oversight

Governance

• Chair or co-chair the AI Governance Committee.
• Establish AI approval and review processes.
• Oversee AI system inventories and define AI risk classifications.
• Ensure AI projects undergo appropriate governance before deployment.
• Maintain executive dashboards and reporting.

Regulatory compliance

Monitor and implement requirements related to the EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework, ISO/IEC 42001, ISO 31000, ISO 27001, OECD AI Principles, state AI legislation, and emerging global AI regulations.

Cross-functional leadership

Partner with Information Security, Privacy, Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk, Technology, Procurement, Data Governance, Human Resources, and business unit leaders.

Third-party AI risk

• Evaluate AI vendors and review contractual AI provisions.
• Assess vendor governance maturity and monitor concentration risk.
• Review AI service providers and develop AI due diligence procedures.

Monitoring and reporting

Develop enterprise reporting covering Key Risk Indicators (KRIs), AI incidents, model performance, emerging threats, regulatory developments, executive dashboards, Board reporting, audit findings, and corrective action tracking.

Incident response

Lead response efforts involving AI failures, unauthorized AI usage, model compromise, data leakage, ethical concerns, high-risk AI incidents, and regulatory inquiries.

Program development

Build and maintain the AI Risk Register, AI Controls Library, AI Risk Taxonomy, AI Governance Framework, risk assessment methodology, risk scoring models, AI approval workflow, AI risk metrics, and AI policy library.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Business, Law, or a related discipline. Master's degree preferred.
• 12 to 15+ years of progressive experience in enterprise risk management, technology risk, cybersecurity, model risk management, compliance, or governance.
• 5+ years leading enterprise risk or governance programs.
• Experience briefing executive leadership and Boards of Directors.
• Strong understanding of AI technologies and machine learning concepts.
• Experience implementing governance frameworks within complex organizations.

Preferred certifications

One or more of the following: Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP), ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor, Professional Risk Manager (PRM), Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

Technical knowledge

Strong familiarity with AI governance, enterprise risk management, AI risk assessments, model risk management, responsible AI, AI security, AI privacy, data governance, LLM governance, AI agent governance, model lifecycle management, vendor risk management, regulatory compliance, AI controls testing, risk quantification, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platforms.

Essential competencies

Strategic leadership, executive communication, Board presentation skills, risk-based decision making, critical thinking, ethical judgment, collaboration, change leadership, program management, regulatory interpretation, analytical problem solving, and negotiation and influence.

Success measures: first 12 months

• Establish an enterprise AI risk governance program.
• Implement an AI Risk Register and assessment methodology.
• Develop executive AI risk dashboards.
• Launch AI governance committees and reporting processes.
• Complete baseline AI risk assessments across business units.
• Integrate AI risk into Enterprise Risk Management.
• Develop AI policies, standards, and procedures.
• Improve organizational AI governance maturity.

Why join us

This is an opportunity to shape how artificial intelligence is governed across the enterprise. As Chief AI Risk Officer, you will help ensure AI is deployed responsibly while enabling innovation, protecting stakeholders, and strengthening organizational resilience in an evolving regulatory landscape.

About [Company]

[Two or three sentences about your organization, the maturity of your AI program, and what the first year looks like. Executive candidates in this field respond to honesty about whether they are joining a build or an established function.]