AI Salary Guide Australia
A Head of AI in Australia earns a median total package of $291k including super at a large Sydney employer, principal level, with a band of $248k to $335k (Galileo P1 salary dataset, July 2026). A Chief AI Officer at enterprise scale benchmarks at $426k, band $362k to $489k. Advertised Head of AI packages run $230k to $290k (package incl super + bonus), and most ads do not state a figure at all.
Galileo salary dataset and rate card, Sydney, large company, July 2026. Packages include super; day rates are contract medians at the same seniority.
The bands
Package band including super at the seat's anchor seniority, the advertised market band where one exists, and the contract day-rate band at the same seniority. July 2026.
| Seat | Anchor seniority | Package incl. super | Advertised band | Day rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head of AI / Director of AI | Principal | $248k to $335k | $230k to $290k (package incl super + bonus) | $1,306 to $1,766 |
| Chief AI Officer (CAIO) | Principal | $362k to $489k | most ads hide pay | $1,908 to $2,582 |
Head of AI / Director of AI: Advertised range verified against published market data plus our own tracking. Director of AI AU average sits at $236k (published industry data). Galileo dataset benchmark: $291k median total package incl super at large Sydney companies, principal level (July 2026); APRA-regulated and enterprise employers price above large-company medians. Day-rate work at this level is interim and fractional, priced from the Galileo P1 dataset rather than an advertised contract market. Chief AI Officer (CAIO): Advertised enterprise observation. Galileo dataset benchmark: $380k median base / $426k median total package, band $362k to $489k (Sydney, large company, principal level, July 2026); enterprise and APRA-regulated sizes run higher. Enterprise seats only; not a mid-market band.
By city
Median total package including super and the contract day-rate median at the seat's anchor seniority, large company. Galileo P1 salary dataset, July 2026.
| City | Package incl. super | Day rate |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $291k | $1,536 |
| Melbourne | $282k | $1,490 |
| Brisbane | $268k | $1,413 |
| Perth | $277k | $1,460 |
| Adelaide | $248k | $1,306 |
| Canberra | $306k | $1,613 |
| City | Package incl. super | Day rate |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $426k | $2,245 |
| Melbourne | $413k | $2,178 |
| Brisbane | $392k | $2,066 |
| Perth | $404k | $2,133 |
| Adelaide | $362k | $1,909 |
| Canberra | $447k | $2,358 |
Only 14% of classified Australian AI job ads disclose pay (Galileo Search analysis, July 2026), so the dataset, not the ads, is the benchmark. The transparency analysis has the rates by role family.
What moves the number
Build leaders who still ship, adopt leaders who own enablement and transform leaders who own the enterprise roadmap are three different jobs under one family of titles, and they price differently. Write the mandate before the advert.
Which seat do you need firstAPRA-regulated groups and enterprise employers price above the large-company medians on this page, and almost never advertise the figure. The dataset carries company-size multipliers for exactly this.
How the leadership search runsThe step from Head of AI to Chief AI Officer is budget and P&L ownership, not seniority of title. IBM's 2026 CEO study links the CAIO seat to 10% higher return on AI spend, which is what the premium buys.
The 2026 hiring guideDay-rate work at this level is interim or fractional while a permanent search runs, priced from the dataset rather than an advertised contract market.
Live leadership mandatesQuestions we get asked
All fifteen AI seats are in the AI Salary Guide Australia. Engineers have their own page: AI engineer salary Australia.
Hiring, or being hired
We benchmark the mandate against live data, map the pool and tell you honestly whether the package will land the person you want.