Every AI company is competing for the same senior people. We find senior full-stack AI developers, AI and ML engineering leaders and the rare R&D profiles around them, across Europe and Latin America, for AI startups after a round and for tech companies building AI products.
Whom we hire
Senior full-stack AI engineers
Backend and applied AI engineers
ML engineering managers
Heads of Engineering and CTOs
DevOps and platform leads
Senior C++, iOS and frontend engineers for AR and R&D teams
Cases
AI legal tech · US · Series A ($60M): 11 senior full-stack AI engineers in 9 months. The engineers every AI company in the world is hunting right now. We were their hiring engine before they had a recruiter of their own: top senior full-stack AI developers, found among 1,000+ profiles across Europe and Latin America. A new senior AI engineer every 3–4 weeks; $1.1M+ in annual salaries placed; 9 of 11 passed probation; Recommended by their VP of Engineering.
AR fashion-tech · after its exit to a global luxury marketplace: 5 engineering hires, the Head of Engineering included. After the exit we hired for the AR try-on team in the buyer's Porto hub: the Head of Engineering and the rare profiles behind real-time AR, senior C++, senior iOS, frontend and senior QA, most with relocation to Portugal. 5 hires in 10 months; €340K+ in annual base salaries placed; All 4 engineers passed the 180-day probation; Recommended by the Head of Engineering we hired.
Enterprise AI language platform · Series C ($43M) · 1,000+ corporate clients: 8 engineering roles at once, up to Head of DevOps and ML Engineering Manager. Scaling the engineering team across Europe: a Head of DevOps, an ML Engineering Manager, engineering leaders and senior frontend (Vue) and backend (.NET) engineers. High-bar roles that needed deep technical expertise and a strong culture fit. 1,100+ engineers and leaders sourced across Europe; First offer 4 weeks into the search; Recommended by their Talent & Ops Lead.
International media-tech platform: frontend, full-stack and backend AI engineers on three different stacks, about 700 profiles sourced across Europe
How a search runs
Before the contract: a market map, a salary benchmark or an anonymised profile of a strong candidate, free.
A worldwide search: our own platform ranks candidates with AI, and we reach the strongest through warm introductions.
A detailed report on each finalist and a private portal with weekly search reports. People make every decision.
You pay only on a hire, half of the fee after the trial period.
Questions companies ask
How fast can you hire a senior AI engineer?
For a US AI legal-tech company we delivered a new senior full-stack AI engineer every 3–4 weeks: 11 hires in 9 months, before the company had a recruiter of its own.
Where do you find senior AI engineers?
Wherever they are: Europe, the UK and Latin America, for companies in the US and Europe. For one AI company we went through 1,000+ profiles. Our own platform ranks candidates with AI, and we reach the strongest through warm introductions.
What does a senior full-stack AI engineer earn?
The senior full-stack AI engineers we placed in Europe and Latin America for a US company in 2025–2026 earn $80K–$135K a year. Before the contract we give you a salary benchmark for your role and location.
Do you hire whole AI and R&D teams?
Yes. For an AR fashion-tech company after its exit we hired the Head of Engineering together with senior C++, iOS, frontend and QA engineers, most of them relocated to Portugal.
Do you hire ML and engineering leaders?
Yes. For an enterprise AI language platform (Series C, 1,000+ corporate clients) we ran eight engineering searches at once across Europe, from senior engineers to a Head of DevOps and an ML Engineering Manager, and sourced 1,100+ engineers and leaders.
How does Yankona charge?
You pay only on a hire, and half of the fee after the trial period. Before the contract you get something useful for free: a market map, a salary benchmark or an anonymised profile of a strong candidate.