What We Do
Three ways we work with data & AI organizations.
Recruiting. Consulting. Training. Each engagement is scoped to what you actually need not a packaged offering, not a retainer that outlives its usefulness.
Expert-led search for data & AI professionals who can deliver.
Our model is simple: one candidate per search. Not a shortlist. Not a pipeline. We run the process until we find the person we would hire ourselves, then we present them to you.
We handle the full search from role scoping through technical prescreen through offer. You meet candidates who have already been evaluated on the substance, not just the resume.
What’s included
- –Role definition and market calibration
- –Active sourcing via network and proprietary outreach
- –Technical and behavioral pre-screening
- –Reference and background vetting
- –Offer support and close
- –30/60/90-day placement check-ins
How We Work
The search process, from first call to first day.
Intake & Scoping
We learn the role, the team, the culture, and what failure looks like. This is where most searches go wrong we spend the time here.
Active Sourcing
Network referrals, direct outreach, and our proprietary pipeline of data & AI professionals. We go off-market when the role demands it.
Deep Prescreen
Technical evaluation, work-style assessment, and culture fit conducted by people who understand the domain, not generalist recruiters.
One Presentation
When we find the right person, we present one candidate with a full writeup. You evaluate substance, not volume.
Close & Follow-through
We support offer, negotiation, and transition and check in at 30, 60, and 90 days to confirm the hire is landing as expected.
Strategic guidance for teams building or scaling a data & AI function.
For organizations that need more than a hire: team structure, role definition, capability assessment, and data & AI strategy. We help you build the function, not just fill the headcount.
Ian Allison brings CDO-level experience to your org chart questions what roles you actually need, in what order, and how to evaluate whether the people you have can take you where you’re going.
Engagements include
- –Data & AI capability assessments
- –Team structure and org design
- –Role definition and leveling frameworks
- –Vendor and technology evaluation
- –Data governance and strategy alignment
- –Executive advisory (fractional CDO)
Practical skills development for data & AI teams at every level.
Training programs built around what data & AI teams actually need not generic courses, but targeted skill development aligned to your stack, your models, and your gaps.
We work with teams to identify where capability is missing, design curriculum around the real work, and deliver training that transfers. Not a certificate program. A capability upgrade.
Programs cover
- –Data literacy for non-technical leaders
- –AI fundamentals for data teams
- –Prompt engineering and LLM application
- –Data governance and quality practices
- –Analytics engineering and dbt fundamentals
- –Custom curriculum for your specific stack
Ready to talk about your next hire?
We take on a limited number of searches at a time. If you’re looking to move soon, let’s get on the list.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What services does Salient Insights offer?
Three service lines: recruiting (expert-led search for data & AI roles), consulting (data & AI strategy and organizational guidance), and training (upskilling teams on data & AI practices). Each engagement is scoped to what the client actually needs.
What does “one candidate per search” mean?
Instead of sending a shortlist, we run the full search, role scoping, sourcing, and technical prescreening, until we find the person we would hire ourselves, and present that one candidate. You interview substance, not a stack of resumes.
How does an engagement start?
It starts with a conversation about the role or problem you are trying to solve. From there we scope the engagement, search, consulting, or training, and agree on the process before any work begins. Use the contact page to get started.
Who conducts the candidate evaluations?
Evaluations are led by practitioners with senior data leadership experience, including former Chief Data Officer and Principal Data Architect roles, so technical prescreens are conducted by someone who has done the job, not just recruited for it.
What kinds of companies does Salient Insights work with?
Organizations that are building or scaling data & AI capabilities, from companies making their first senior data hire to established teams adding specialized AI talent or seeking outside guidance on strategy and structure.