From Zero to 8 Senior AI Engineers: Launching an AI Department for a Fintech Platform
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8 Senior AI Engineers in 6 Months for a Fast-Growing Fintech -
23 candidates presented to the client
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Hiring plan scaled from 5 to 8 AI roles fully delivered
Consulting Services
Client
Paysera is a fintech company that offers digital payment solutions, including money transfers, currency exchange, payment cards, online payment processing for e-shops, and other financial services.
In 2023, Paysera processed EUR 1.1 billion in e-commerce payments. Clients transferred EUR 11.2 billion through the platform, with around EUR 515 million held in client accounts.
The company decided to launch a dedicated AI track and needed a team of senior AI engineers who would work directly with business processes rather than simply executing predefined tasks.
Challenge
Paysera took the step of creating a standalone AI department and set an ambitious goal:
to hire several AI Engineers who would:
- Analyse departments and business processes to identify opportunities for AI,
- Gradually implement AI-driven solutions into these processes,
- Help the development team use AI more effectively within the same timelines.
Initially, the plan was to hire 5 specialists for this new AI direction. Later, the hiring plan was expanded to 8 people.
The challenge was twofold:
- Before working with us, the client had already reviewed 10+ candidates and only then started to understand what the ideal profile for this role should look like;
- On the market, there were not enough truly strong candidates who matched the company’s criteria.
Our task was to help Paysera reach the updated target of 8 AI Engineers, without location restrictions, within a realistic six-month search period and with a clear focus on senior-level talent.
Solution
Both sides brought specific strengths into this project.
From the Client’s Side:
- Clear focus on AI roles: Paysera defined the role as AI Engineer, with responsibility for analysing internal processes and implementing AI solutions, not just working from a narrow, pre-defined task list.
- AI from scratch with real product impact: Candidates were offered the chance to build AI “from scratch” and directly influence the company’s products and internal processes.
- Flexible geography: There were no strict location limitations, which opened up a broader talent pool for the search.
From Our Side:
- Several recruiters involved: On our side, several recruiters worked on the project in parallel, sharing market insights and coordinating the search for AI talent.
- LinkedIn plus our own network: We focused on LinkedIn and our own internal sources to identify and approach senior AI engineers relevant to the client’s needs.
- Role and messaging preparation: After receiving the initial vacancy description, we asked clarifying questions, prepared a structured job description, and created outreach messages tailored specifically for AI Engineers.
- Iterative calibration through real candidates: Over 6 months, we presented 23 candidates to the client. The early waves were used to check whether we were moving in the right direction and to refine expectations together with Paysera.
- End-to-end candidate support: For each relevant candidate, we conducted a preliminary call. Only after our internal assessment did we submit the profile to the client.
We then coordinated calls between the client and the candidate and supported candidates all the way through to the offer stage and throughout the probation period to make sure they met expectations and successfully passed it.
Workflow
Brainstorming together with the client was key to success.
Крок 1: Clarifying the role and communication
We received the initial vacancy description and asked follow-up questions. Based on this, we:
- formulated a structured role description for the AI Engineer,
- prepared outreach texts for candidates focused on AI work and real product impact.
Step 2: First wave of candidates
We launched the search and sent the first group of candidates to:
- check how closely our understanding of the role matched Paysera’s expectations,
- quickly get feedback and see which profiles were closest to the “ideal AI Engineer” for this company.
Крок 3: Adjusting to the company’s feedback
Based on Paysera’s comments, we refined the criteria and expectations:
- which previous experience was most relevant,
- which backgrounds were less interesting for the client,
- which signals in candidate profiles correlated with successful interviews.
Крок 4: Continuous search and full candidate management
From there, we worked in a stable loop:
- found relevant candidates through LinkedIn and our own sources,
- held initial calls and ran our internal screening,
- submitted selected candidates to the client,
- organised calls between Paysera and candidates,
- supported candidates through the offer stage and probation.
This allowed us to maintain quality even though the number of truly strong candidates who matched the company’s criteria was limited.
The Results
Over 6 months of search, we helped Paysera build its first senior AI team:
- 23 candidates were presented to the client;
- the hiring plan grew from 5 to 8 AI Engineers, and all 8 roles were successfully closed;
- all hires were Senior AI Engineers;
- we supported each candidate from the first contact through to the end of the probation period.
Key outcomes
This case shows that we can:
- Працюйте з ролями штучного інтелекту, навіть якщо на початку немає ідеального опису ролі.
- Refine the profile step by step together with the client.
- And assemble a complete AI team that the company can rely on to develop a new direction.