Sector Depth
We already recruit into the plants, labs and data centres AI is being deployed into, so the customer side of a deployment is a market we hold the map of, not one we are learning.
Sector
AI &
DEEP TECH.
Specialist recruitment for AI-native, compute, quantum, robotics, and semiconductor businesses in Singapore. We headhunt the people who ship AI into the physical world.
WHY SPECIALIST
AI and deep tech is a hybrid desk: selected industries, and the selected roles that carry AI into them. The products ship into plants, labs and data centres, which are the places we already recruit for. The hire that decides whether a deployment lands is the person who can sit with that customer and make it work, and we screen for the deployment and the domain, not the model alone.
- Focus
- Applied AI, Compute, Quantum, Robotics, Semis
- Functions
- Commercial, Engineering, R&D, Artificial Intelligence
- Level
- Specialist, Mid-Level, Leadership
- Markets
- Singapore
The Screen
A forward deployed engineer is tested on whether they can hold a room of process engineers and ship inside the quarter, not only on the model. We screen for both on the same call.
Passive Market
The strongest deep tech candidates in Singapore are employed, approached constantly, and not reading adverts. We headhunt against the brief, which is why retained search fits critical roles here.
Inside the Sector
SUB-SECTORS WE COVER
Five deep tech markets with real engineering in Singapore. Applied AI, compute, quantum, robotics, and semiconductors. Open one for what the work involves and the titles it produces.
What We Recruit
ROLES WE PLACE
Three families, the level each runs at, and where in the sector they sit.
Common Questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What AI and deep tech roles do you recruit for in Singapore?
Three families. AI and forward deployed engineers. Commercial and product, from sales and applications through to commercial director. Engineering and R&D across quantum, robotics and semiconductors, through to engineering director.
What is a forward deployed engineer, and why is the role hard to hire?
An engineer who sits with the customer and ships a working deployment in weeks. Hard to hire because the role needs domain knowledge and engineering depth in one person. Most candidates have one half.
Do you recruit for semiconductor and quantum companies, or only AI software firms?
Both. The desk covers the physical layer as well: IC design, verification, packaging, quantum hardware and photonics, plus the commercial and leadership roles on top of them.
Which markets do you cover for AI and deep tech recruitment?
Singapore. It is where most of the region’s deep tech engineering sits, and it is the market we work this desk in. We also recruit inbound: many of the strongest candidates for Singapore roles are currently overseas and open to a move for the right build. Regional mandates are taken case by case.
Should I use retained or contingency search for an AI or deep tech role?
Contingency for active, mid-level roles with a reasonable pool. Retained when the role is senior or niche, the pool is small enough to count, the strongest candidates are passive, or the hire is the first forward deployed or platform engineer into a new market. Most searches on this desk are the second kind.