What should I ask about benefits when interviewing for a Chief Data & AI Officer in Raleigh?

Ask about equity, bonuses, 401(k), health insurance, PTO, and remote flexibility. Benefits in Raleigh can add $73,000+ to base salary.

What certifications help Chief Data & AI Officers earn more in Raleigh?

Certifications add 5 to 15% to Chief Data & AI Officer salaries in Raleigh. They help bridge the gap between the median of $292,000 and the 75th percentile of $381,000.

How fast are Chief Data & AI Officer salaries growing in Raleigh?

Chief Data & AI Officer salaries in Raleigh trend upward. The 2026 range is $218,000 to $381,000.

Chief Data & AI Officer.

Q: Do Chief Data & AI Officers in Raleigh earn overtime or bonuses?

Many Chief Data & AI Officers are exempt from overtime. Total compensation typically reaches $600,000 to $1,200,000 including equity grants, performance bonuses of 40 to 60% of base, and retention packages. Ask about total comp when evaluating offers.

Raleigh.

$292,000

median salary, 1% below the national average

$218,000 to $381,000. Updated for 2026.

Get your playbook

The numbers.

Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.

Chief Data & AI Officer pay in Raleigh ranges from $218,000 to $381,000 in 2026. The median is $292,000, 1% below the national average. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$218,000

per year

Median

$292,000

per year

75th Percentile

$381,000

per year

Tap to place your salary

$218,000$381,000

How Raleigh compares

Raleigh, NC

$292,000

Cost of living: 1% below average

National Average

$295,000

Raleigh is $3,000 below

What you should know

Before you negotiate a Chief Data & AI Officer offer in Raleigh, understand the terrain. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. Cisco, Red Hat, Epic Games, and numerous biotech firms drive strong demand for engineering, research, and product roles. The combination of top tier universities and moderate living costs creates an exceptionally favorable salary to expense ratio. Compensation scales with the breadth of the AI and data portfolio under management. Officers overseeing both revenue-generating AI products and enterprise data governance at Fortune 500 companies command premium packages. Industry vertical matters significantly, with financial services and healthcare paying 15 to 25% above median.

Most CDAIOs advance from VP of Data Science or VP of AI Engineering roles earning $200,000 to $270,000. The CDAIO role itself ranges from $220,000 to $385,000 base. Some transition to CEO or board director positions with total compensation exceeding $1,500,000 annually. In Raleigh, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.

Base salary is not the full picture. Total compensation typically reaches $600,000 to $1,200,000 including equity grants, performance bonuses of 40 to 60% of base, and retention packages. Board observer seats and advisory equity in portfolio companies are increasingly common. And on the tax side: north Carolina's flat 4.5% income tax keeps the burden low. Raleigh has no city income tax, and the Triangle's affordable housing amplifies your take home purchasing power. When someone quotes you $292,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates. The range for Chief Data & AI Officers in Raleigh runs from $218,000 to $381,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Top industries in Raleigh

TechnologyBiotech & PharmaHigher EducationHealthcareGaming

Negotiating in Raleigh

Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates.

Common questions.

CDAIOs now earn comparable or higher total compensation than CTOs at many technology companies, typically within 5 to 10% of CTO packages. At companies where AI is central to revenue, CDAIOs may actually out-earn CTOs by 10 to 20%.

Equity grants typically range from 0.1 to 0.5% at public companies and 0.5 to 2.0% at growth-stage startups. Four-year vesting with a one-year cliff remains standard, though some companies offer accelerated vesting tied to AI revenue milestones.

Ask about equity structure, vesting schedule, annual bonus targets, 401(k) match, health insurance premiums, PTO policy, and remote flexibility. Total compensation typically reaches $600,000 to $1,200,000 including equity grants, performance bonuses of 40 to 60% of base, and retention packages. In Raleigh's market, these extras can add $73,000 or more on top of the base salary.

Relevant certifications can add 5 to 15% to a Chief Data & AI Officer's base salary in Raleigh. Specifically, compensation scales with the breadth of the ai and data portfolio under management. In a market where the range spans $218,000 to $381,000, certifications often bridge the gap between the 50th and 75th percentile.

Chief Data & AI Officer compensation in Raleigh has trended upward as demand outpaces supply. The 2026 range of $218,000 to $381,000 reflects a market that rewards specialization. Compensation scales with the breadth of the AI and data portfolio under management.

Total compensation typically reaches $600,000 to $1,200,000 including equity grants, performance bonuses of 40 to 60% of base, and retention packages. Board observer seats and advisory equity in portfolio companies are increasingly common. In Raleigh's market, the base range of $218,000 to $381,000 is just the starting point for negotiation.

It depends on the position and employer. Many Chief Data & AI Officers in Raleigh are classified as exempt salaried employees without overtime eligibility. However, total compensation typically reaches $600,000 to $1,200,000 including equity grants, performance bonuses of 40 to 60% of base, and retention packages. When evaluating the $218,000 to $381,000 range, ask about the total compensation structure during negotiation.