The rise of AI secondment
Demand for AI expertise is growing faster than the supply. More and more businesses are looking at AI secondment as the answer to their talent challenges.
AI secondment offers the best of both worlds: access to top talent, without the long recruitment processes and long term commitments of a permanent hire.
What is AI secondment?
With AI secondment you bring in an AI professional through a specialist agency. The professional:
- Works at your organisation
- Is employed by the secondment agency
- Is managed by you for the day to day work
- Can be scaled up and scaled back down flexibly
The secondment agency takes care of:
- Recruitment and selection
- The employment contract and salary
- Administrative matters
- Replacement in case of illness or departure
Why choose AI secondment?
Fast access to talent
AI talent is scarce. Recruiting yourself costs:
- Months of searching
- High recruitment costs
- An uncertain outcome
- Management time
With AI secondment:
- You start within 2 to 4 weeks
- Pre selected candidates
- Proven expertise
- Minimal management overhead
Flexibility
AI projects are often temporary or variable:
- Projects with a clear end date
- Fluctuating workload
- Uncertain future need
- Experimental initiatives
AI secondment offers:
- Scaling up when you need it
- Scaling down without hassle
- No long term commitments
- Adapting to project phases
Knowledge and experience
Seconded AI professionals bring:
- Experience from several organisations
- Knowledge of best practices
- Fresh perspectives
- A broad network
Spreading risk
With AI secondment:
- No permanent employment risk
- No worries about notice periods
- Replacement in case of a mismatch
- Shared employer risk
Which AI roles are available?
AI engineers
Building and implementing AI systems:
- ML model development
- AI application development
- MLOps and deployment
- Integration engineering
Data scientists
Data analysis and modelling:
- Predictive analytics
- Statistical modelling
- Experiment design
- Generating insights
ML engineers
Machine learning infrastructure:
- Model training pipelines
- Feature engineering
- Model monitoring
- Performance optimisation
AI product managers
Leading AI product development:
- Roadmap development
- Stakeholder management
- Prioritisation
- Go to market
Conversational AI designers
Chatbot and voice design:
- Conversation design
- User experience
- Content creation
- Testing and iteration
AI consultants
Strategic AI advice:
- Strategy development
- Use case identification
- Vendor selection
- Programme management
How does AI secondment work in practice?
Step 1: intake and profile
We start by understanding:
- What is your project or need?
- Which skills are required?
- What level of experience?
- What is the cultural fit?
Step 2: candidate selection
We select suitable candidates:
- From our network of professionals
- Screened on skills and experience
- Tested on soft skills
- Matched to your organisation
Step 3: meeting them
You meet the candidates:
- Introductory conversation
- Technical assessment (optional)
- Culture fit check
- Your choice
Step 4: start and onboarding
The professional starts:
- Onboarding at your organisation
- Access to systems
- Meeting the team
- Project briefing
Step 5: support
During the secondment:
- Regular check ins
- Support when issues come up
- Adjusting course where needed
- Contract management
AI secondment at Green Creatives
Our network
Green Creatives has access to a network of:
- Over 50 AI professionals
- From junior to partner level
- Diverse specialisations
- Dutch and international experts
Our screening
Every professional in our network is:
- Technically tested
- Checked on soft skills
- Verified on experience
- Reviewed by previous clients
Our support
During the secondment we offer:
- A dedicated account manager
- Monthly progress conversations
- Fast escalation lines
- Backup if someone drops out
Our flexibility
We offer:
- Secondment per day, week or month
- Options to end it
- Extension without hassle
- A combination with project work
AI secondment vs. the other options
Hiring permanently
Advantages of permanent:
- Long term commitment
- Building internal knowledge
- Full control
Advantages of secondment:
- Faster to start
- More flexible to scale back
- Less risk
Bringing in a freelancer
Advantages of freelance:
- A direct relationship
- Sometimes cheaper
Advantages of secondment:
- More certainty (backup)
- The administration is taken care of
- Often better screening
Outsourcing the project
Advantages of a project:
- Accountability for the result
- A fixed price is possible
Advantages of secondment:
- More control over the work
- Knowledge transfer to your team
- More flexibility to adjust
When do you choose AI secondment?
AI secondment is ideal when:
- You need AI capacity fast
- The need is temporary or uncertain
- Your permanent headcount is full
- You are missing specific expertise
- You want to spread risk
AI secondment fits less well if:
- You have a structural, multi year need
- Retaining knowledge is crucial
- Budget is very limited
- You want full control
Getting started with AI secondment
Do you need temporary AI expertise? Green Creatives helps you find the right professional.
Talk through what you need in a no obligation conversation or take a look at our AI services for complete solutions.
