AI & Data Talent
AI hiring has a verification problem. The market is full of people who have used an API and describe themselves as AI engineers, and CVs cannot distinguish them from people who have shipped and operated production systems.
Because we deliver AI work ourselves, our consultants screen candidates on the things that matter: how they handle evaluation, what they do about retrieval quality, whether they have run something after launch.
Platforms we typically deliver this on
Scope of the service
Machine learning and AI engineers
Model development, retrieval systems, agent frameworks and production deployment.
Data engineers
Pipeline development on Databricks, Snowflake, Azure and cloud-native platforms, with dbt and orchestration experience.
AI and data architects
Platform architecture, integration design and technical leadership for AI programmes.
MLOps and platform engineers
Model deployment, monitoring, infrastructure as code and delivery platform work.
Analytics and BI specialists
Semantic modelling, Power BI and Tableau development, and analytics engineering.
AI governance and risk
Specialists in model risk, AI policy, privacy and responsible AI practice.
Where this is used
Representative engagements, described at the level our clients permit. Sector and shape are accurate; identifying detail is withheld.
Building an internal AI capability from nothing
An agency needed to hire a first AI team but had nobody able to assess candidates. We helped define the roles, screened technically and supported interview panels.
Outcome — A first team hired without the organisation having to guess at competence.
Contract data engineers for a platform migration
A migration needed six months of additional capacity. We placed four engineers with lakehouse experience inside a month.
Outcome — Programme timeline held without a permanent headcount commitment.
Screening for genuine production experience
The client had interviewed extensively and found most candidates had only prototype experience. We screened specifically for evaluation, monitoring and incident experience.
Outcome — A short list where every candidate had operated a system in production.
Before you get in touch
How do you technically screen candidates?
A practising consultant from the relevant discipline conducts a technical conversation and writes an assessment you receive with the CV.
Contract or permanent?
Both, plus temp-to-permanent. For a first AI hire we often suggest contract first, because requirements clarify quickly once work starts.
How quickly can you present candidates?
Typically a short list within two to three weeks for most roles, longer for senior architecture and governance positions.
Often engaged alongside this
Contract Staffing
Contract technology professionals for defined periods — screened, compliant, and supported through the engagement rather than placed and forgotten.
Read moreTalent SolutionsDirect Hire
Permanent recruitment for technology roles, with practitioner-led technical screening and a guarantee period behind every placement.
Read moreAIAI Workshops & Enablement
Executive sessions, engineering enablement and role-based training designed around your systems and your policies rather than generic curriculum.
Read moreStart with three weeks and a straight answer
The AI Readiness Assessment is fixed in scope, fixed in price and produces four deliverables you own — whether or not you continue with us.