Generative models expertise (Diffusion, GANs, Autoencoders) combined with applied computer vision a rare combination even in top-tier AI markets.

Ultra-niche technical profile

The role required someone capable of engaging with cutting-edge academic research and translating it into working systems. Most candidates excel at one or the other.

Research and engineering in one profile

PhD or MSc preference meant the talent pool was anchored in academia a market most recruiters don't reach through conventional channels.

Academic credentials required

A London-based deep tech startup building real-time AI anonymization technology
came to us with a position they considered nearly impossible to fill. We closed it in
60 days.

A role the client didn't believe could be filled — closed in 60 days.

### Expert CV / DL Engineer — signed in 60 days.
A role the client had low confidence in filling was closed with a qualified, PhD-level candidate
sourced through outbound research. Six shortlisted profiles. Zero job board posts.

Result

Deep technical brief with the hiring team. We built a precise scorecard covering generative modelling depth, CV application experience, and engineering proficiency. Target profile agreed before any outreach began.

Brief & calibration

Outbound-only sourcing across academic networks, AI research communities, and deep tech talent pools. 12 candidates interviewed by meet minds. 6 cleared the bar and were presented to the client.

Active outbound & internal screening

Structured client-side interview process, offer support, and signed contract. Role closed at day 60.

Client interviews & close

How the search unfolded.

Computer Vision / Deep Learning Engineer

Portfolio quality and design case performance weren't the only filters. The studio was looking for a creative sensibility that matched their own, which narrows the pool far more than technical requirements alone.

Vision alignment over credentials

The studio needed someone who keeps up with how AI is reshaping game art and visual workflows, but leads with their own creative vision rather than leaning on tools as a substitute for it. That balance is increasingly rare to find.

Aware of AI, not defined by it

The people who combine strong craft with the right creative vision for a specific studio are rarely on the market. A job post doesn't reach them.

A passive talent pool

A gaming studio with exceptionally high design standards needed an Art Lead. The
talent pool for this kind of role is small, and the bar is rarely cleared. We didn't post
the role. We went straight to the right person.

We didn't start a search. We made a call. Role filled in 6 days.

### Art Lead hired. 1 candidate. 6 days.
No shortlist, no back-and-forth, no compromise on quality. The right person was already in our
network. A role that would have been hard to fill through a conventional search was filled in less than a week because the relationship work had already been done.

Art Lead

A long list of applicants with no consistent way to compare them against each other or against the role's real requirements.

High volume, no filter

The client had no structured interview process or assessment method tailored to what an IT Recruiter for this expansion would actually need to do.

No evaluation framework

Neither the client nor their existing team had operated in this region before, raising the stakes on getting the local hiring lead right.

An unfamiliar market

A growing company expanding into Southeast Asia needed to hire an IT Recruiter to lead their hiring abroad. They had no shortage of applicants, what they lacked was a fair, structured way to tell who was actually right for the role, in a market neither side had operated in before.

Hundreds of applications, no clear way to choose. We built the process that solved it.

### IT Recruiter hired to lead operations in a brand new market, in 23 days.
A long, unstructured list of applicants became a clear, data-backed decision. The entire process, from kickoff to signed offer, ran across the year-end holiday period and still landed in just 23 days. The client filled a critical leadership role in a region they had never operated in before, and walked away with a repeatable evaluation framework for future hires.


We mapped the skill sets the role required and built custom interview questions around them. Every long-listed candidate was evaluated against the same framework, ensuring a fair, consistent comparison.

Needs analysis & tailored interviews

The four strongest candidates were given a case study built specifically around the client's situation, testing recruitment strategy development, market awareness, hiring dashboard design, and talent sourcing. Each candidate presented their solution.

Custom case study

We delivered a detailed report on each candidate's strengths and areas for improvement, giving the client an objective, data-driven basis to make the final call.

success stories

real searches. real outcomes.