How It WorksPricingInsightsAboutOperations Scorecard
hire AI specialist without full-time salary

Hire a Dedicated AI Operations Partner — Without the $150K Salary

Get a dedicated AI operations partner embedded in your business for $8,000/month. No recruitment fees, no benefits overhead, no 6-month ramp-up.

Get your Operations Scorecard Book a 20-min call

Quick Answer

Hire a Dedicated AI Operations Partner — Without the $150K SalaryGet a dedicated AI operations partner embedded in your business for $8,000/month. No recruitment fees, no benefits overhead, no 6-month ramp-up. Businesses using Ironback see $30K–$66K annual cost vs $150k+ for full-time.

$8,000Flat monthly retainer
$150K+Full-time salary you skip
2 weeksFully operational
$150K+Average annual waste surfaced

The Problem

You know you need someone to handle AI and automation for your company. But a full-time AI operations hire costs $120K–$180K in salary alone — plus benefits, equipment, training, and 3–6 months before they're productive. That math doesn't work for a $5M contractor.

What Ironback Is

  • A trained AI operations partner dedicated to your company — without the full-time salary
  • Operational in 2 weeks, not 6 months — already trained on contractor workflows
  • Month-to-month engagement: $8,000/month with no long-term contract
  • Builds, operates, and maintains all AI systems across 7 operational categories

What Ironback Is Not

  • ×Not a staffing agency placing a random contractor
  • ×Not a part-time freelancer splitting attention across 15 clients
  • ×Not a recruiter helping you find someone to hire — we ARE the hire
  • ×Not a SaaS tool with a help desk

How It Compares

Ironback PartnerFull-Time AI HireFreelancerDo Nothing
Annual cost$30K–$66K$150K–$220K (loaded)$50K–$120K$0
Time to productive2 weeks3–6 months1–3 monthsNever
Trade expertisePre-trainedMust learnVariesN/A
Covers all 7 categoriesDepends on hire1–2 areasNone
3-month minimumMonth-to-month after 3 monthsNoNoLosing $95K+/yr
Turnover riskNone — we replaceHighHighN/A

Industries We Serve

We specialize in specialty trades and high-urgency service businesses.

Results You Can Expect

$30K–$66KAnnual cost vs $150K+ for full-time
2 weeksProductive — no 6-month ramp
0Recruitment fees, benefits, or overhead

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from hiring through a staffing agency?

Staffing agencies place people. We embed dedicated partners who are already trained on contractor workflows, AI tools, and all 7 operational categories. No ramp-up, no training costs, no recruitment fees.

What happens if my specialist leaves?

We replace them. All systems, documentation, and processes are owned by Ironback — a new partner picks up where the last one left off. Zero disruption, zero re-training costs.

Can I hire them full-time later?

We're set up as a long-term embedded arrangement. If you eventually want to bring everything in-house, we'll help you make the switch — full documentation and trained systems included.

Is $8,000/month really enough to get meaningful results?

Yes — because your partner isn't starting from scratch. They use playbooks built from dozens of contractor engagements. The Month 1 operational audit finds significant savings, and the monthly engagement puts them in place one by one.

Ready to embed an AI operations specialist?

Book a free 20-min call. We'll map out where the margin in your operation is hiding and show you the ROI timeline.

Operations Scorecard →