Building an in-house AI team: hire, run, hand over
We hired two AI engineers for the client, ran the team for several months and handed it over to the client's IT department, where it has been working for more than a year.
Project facts
- Model: build – operate – transfer
- Team: 2 AI engineers
- Operated by us: 4–5 months
- Status: working in-house for 1+ year
The situation
The company wanted its own AI capability rather than depending on contractors, but had no experience hiring AI engineers: it was unclear which skills to look for, what the market pays and how to assess candidates.
What we built
- A competency matrix for the AI engineer role, tied to the company's stack and tasks
- Market salary ranges for the required level
- Candidate assessment: the client's HR team sourced candidates, we ran technical interviews and selected those who fit both the stack and the company
- Positioning of the role: we helped present the work through the real tasks the team would solve, which attracted strong candidates within the client's budget
- Upskilling of the hired engineers in AI development practices and internal standards
- Team management under our supervision during the first months, with working processes the team could keep after hand-over
Results
A two-person AI team was hired and worked under our management for four to five months. It was then transferred, in the same composition, to the client's internal IT department and has continued working there for more than a year. The company now has its own AI unit instead of relying on outside contractors.
Want something similar?
Results depend on each company's processes, systems and data. Project descriptions are not a guarantee of similar results.