Hand IRole shape
AI Engineer
Senior · 8 years of experience
- Python
- PyTorch
- LangGraph
- RAG
- AWS Bedrock
“Ships agents that survive contact with real users.”
Ars IntelligentiaAsk for hands like this →
Ars Vocandi · Tech Talent Sourcing← Return to the scriptorium
We know where the good hands are.
Tech talent sourcing for AI, software, data, and cloud teams.
Vetted by engineers who would have to work with them.
Reply within XXIV hours · no fee to candidates
Disciplines sourced
Six crafts
Ways to hire
Permanent · contract · squad
Where they sit
Remote-first, EU hours
Cost to candidates
None, ever
I
Engineers vetting engineers
No keyword filters between you and the work.
II
One standard across all six
The four crafts we practise, and the two that steer them.
III
Written notes on every hand
A reason beside each name, never a bare CV.
IV
A guarantee on direct placements
Set down in the engagement letter, not a handshake.
I. What we source
Six hands, one standard.
We staff the four disciplines we practise, and the two that steer them.
I
Ars Intelligentia
AI & Machine Learning
Agents, LLM systems, applied ML.
II
Ars Fabricandi
Custom Software Development
Backend, full-stack, mobile, APIs.
III
Ars Datarum
Data Engineering
Pipelines, warehouses, vector stores.
IV
Ars Sustinendi
DevOps & Scaling
Kubernetes, CI/CD, observability, cost.
V
Ars Formae
Product Design & UX
Interfaces, design systems, research.
VI
Ars Regendi
Product & Engineering Leadership
Tech leads, EMs, product managers.
We don't source sales, finance, or admin. Only these.
II. The Bench · Index Manuum
The hands we go and find.
The role shapes we source — seniority, stack, and what good looks like.
These are role shapes, not a live roster and not individual people. Once a brief is open, we share real folios under NDA: anonymised CVs, availability, and rates.
Showing 10 of 10 role shapes.
Hand IIRole shape
Backend Engineer
Staff · 11 years of experience
- Go
- PostgreSQL
- gRPC
- Kafka
- Kubernetes
“Has deleted more code than most engineers write.”
Ars FabricandiAsk for hands like this →
Hand IIIRole shape
Full-Stack Engineer
Senior · 7 years of experience
- TypeScript
- React
- Node
- Next.js
- Postgres
“Fluent in both halves of the wire.”
Ars FabricandiAsk for hands like this →
Hand IVRole shape
Data Engineer
Mid–Senior · 6 years of experience
- Python
- dbt
- Airflow
- Snowflake
- Spark
“Makes the warehouse legible to the board.”
Ars DatarumAsk for hands like this →
Hand VRole shape
DevOps / SRE
Senior · 9 years of experience
- Terraform
- Kubernetes
- AWS
- ArgoCD
- Prometheus
“Keeps the vigil so the team sleeps.”
Ars SustinendiAsk for hands like this →
Hand VIRole shape
ML / MLOps Engineer
Mid · 5 years of experience
- Python
- MLflow
- Kubeflow
- Vertex AI
- Docker
“Takes models out of notebooks, into production.”
Ars IntelligentiaAsk for hands like this →
Hand VIIRole shape
Product Designer
Senior · 8 years of experience
- Figma
- Design systems
- Prototyping
- Research
- WCAG
“Draws the thing before anyone builds the wrong one.”
Ars FormaeAsk for hands like this →
Hand VIIIRole shape
Engineering Manager
Lead · 12 years of experience
- Architecture
- Hiring
- Delivery
- Mentoring
- Roadmap
“Turns six good engineers into one good team.”
Ars RegendiAsk for hands like this →
Hand IXRole shape
Mobile Engineer
Senior · 7 years of experience
- Swift
- Kotlin
- React Native
- Store CI
- Offline sync
“Ships to two app stores without drama.”
Ars FabricandiAsk for hands like this →
Hand XRole shape
QA / Test Engineer
Mid–Senior · 6 years of experience
- Playwright
- Cypress
- pytest
- Load testing
- CI gates
“Finds the bug before your customer does.”
Ars FabricandiAsk for hands like this →
III. The Rite
Five steps, no shortcuts.
The same rite for one hand or for ten.
I
Quaeramus
— We inquire
We take the brief apart: the seat, the stack, the band, and the person who will actually stay in it.
In practice
Role brief · scorecard · salary band
II
Vocemus
— We call
We go to the people who aren't applying. Referrals and quiet outreach beat job boards.
In practice
Sourcing · referrals · direct outreach
III
Probemus
— We test
An engineer screens every hand before you see it. We check the claims against the work.
In practice
Technical screen · work sample · references
IV
Praesentemus
— We present
A short list of folios, each with a written reason. Never a spreadsheet of maybes.
In practice
Shortlist · written notes · scheduling
V
Maneamus
— We remain
We stay through offer, notice period, and the first months. A placement is not a delivery.
In practice
Offer support · onboarding · guarantee window
IV. The Vetting
Nobody reaches you unread.
Anyone we wouldn't hire ourselves never reaches your inbox.
Send a Sourcing Brief →01
Read by an engineer
Engineers who do the work read the CVs. No keyword filter in between.
02
Code seen, not claimed
A repository, a take-home, or a walkthrough of something real they shipped.
03
One hour, one real problem
A live session on a real problem from your own domain.
04
Two references, taken by us
We call former leads ourselves and send you the notes.
05
Speech, time zone, and terms
We confirm English, overlap hours, notice period, and band before you meet anyone.
V. Terms of Engagement
Three ways to hire.
Choose by how long you need the hand.
I
Collocatio
Direct Placement
A permanent hire, on your payroll, yours to keep.
- Role brief, scorecard, and salary benchmarking
- Sourcing, screening, and vetting by an engineer
- A shortlist with written notes on every hand
- Interview scheduling, offer support, notice period
- Replacement guarantee, written into the engagement letter
How it is priced
A percentage of first-year gross · invoiced on start date
Best for
Core roles you intend to keep for years.
II
Manus Conductae
Contract Hands · Staff Augmentation
Vetted engineers embedded in your team, billed monthly, ended on notice.
- Matched hands, briefed and ready before they start
- We handle the contracting, invoicing, and compliance
- They report to your leads and work in your tools
- Monthly rate per hand, ended on written notice
- Free replacement if the fit is wrong in the opening period
How it is priced
Monthly rate per hand · by seniority
Best for
Capacity now, without a headcount fight.
III
Cohors
Embedded Squad
A ready-made team with a lead, assembled by us.
- A lead and the hands around them, shaped to the brief
- One point of contact, one invoice
- Delivery cadence, ceremonies, and written reporting
- Ramp-up plan and documented handover from day one
- Scale the squad up or down on notice
How it is priced
Single monthly squad rate
Best for
A whole workstream nobody internal can carry.
Not sure which? Send the brief and we'll tell you the one we'd choose.
The Guarantee
If the hand does not hold, we replace it.
Every direct placement carries a replacement guarantee. If they leave, or you let them go inside the agreed window, we search again at no further fee.
Written into the engagement letter. Not a handshake.
VI. Questions answered
Asked before, answered plainly.
VII. Benediction
Two doors, one order.
For those hiring
Tell us which hand you need.
One page is enough. Role, stack, band, and when.
Reply within XXIV hours · no obligation
For those seeking work
Enter your name in the book.
No fees, no spam, and no CV sent anywhere without your word.
We keep your folio only while you want us to