Neural Networking

senior ICs + engineering leadership

The senior-only network for AI & ML talent

From members of technical staff at frontier labs to the heads of engineering who hire them. We place the people who build frontier AI — and we leave no stone unturned.

Trusted by founders and engineers building frontier AI

Since 2016

Specialist AI/ML search

UK · US · EU

Where we place talent

The market

Neural Networking recruits founding teams, leaders and senior individual contributors, from stealth and pre-seed startups to established tech-first businesses staying ahead on the AI adoption curve.

Smaller teams are measured on ARR and users, not headcount — so the careful selection of impactful ICs and hands-on technical leaders matters more than ever.

In an industry this nascent, judging the value of experience takes expert knowledge — of how today's cutting edge evolved, paired with AI-native recruitment practices. Continuous research delivers pre-screened candidates, relevant to your requirements, for technically elite, diverse teams.

The work

Who we recruit

  • 01

    Founding Engineer

  • 02

    Member of Technical Staff

  • 03

    AI Engineer

  • 04

    ML Research Engineer

  • 05

    LeadershipCAIO, CTO, Head of Engineering, and more

Learn more

How a search runs

  1. 01

    We meet you

    A conversation before any sourcing.

    01

    A call to understand what you're hiring for, the team and what's actually non-negotiable, before any sourcing starts.

  2. 02

    Detailed technical brief

    What you need, written down precisely.

    02

    Together we write the brief: stack, seniority, scope, salary range and how candidates will be assessed.

  3. 03

    Candidate calibration

    Early profiles to test the brief.

    03

    You review a small set of early profiles, so the search is corrected before the shortlist is built.

  4. 04

    Shortlist and interviews

    A short list, pre-screened.

    04

    A pre-screened shortlist, interviews scheduled and coordinated, and structured feedback after every stage.

  5. 05

    Offer and close

    From offer to start date.

    05

    Offer negotiated, references completed and a start date agreed, staying in contact through notice and onboarding.

Hover or tap a step for the detail

Latest insight

What frontier-lab compensation actually looks like in 2026

Base, equity and the numbers nobody publishes — a candid, salary-transparent read for engineers and the teams hiring them.

Read the article

Get the AI/ML salary & hiring guide

Real benchmarks across ML engineering, research and leadership — plus how to structure an offer senior people actually say yes to. Straight to your inbox.

HB
Hollie Bayliss · Founder

About

A decade in tech recruitment, and a passion for people

Neural Networking is led by Hollie Bayliss — genuinely technical, AI-native and salary-transparent. She places founding teams, senior individual contributors and hands-on technical leadership across the UK, US and Europe, from members of technical staff at frontier labs to the heads of engineering who hire them.

More about Hollie

Whichever side of the table you're on, let's talk

No pressure, no spam — just a candid conversation about your team or your career in AI.