Need a Machine Learning Engineer? Here Are 13 Staffing Agencies That Can Help

Machine learning engineer (ML) is one of the few roles where two people with the same job title can do completely different work. One trains models in notebooks. The other ships those models into production and keeps them working. 

If your recruiting team doesn't hire for ML roles every day, telling those profiles apart on a resume gets hard fast. That's where machine learning staffing companies come in: they know how to tell the two profiles apart and screen for the one you need.

In this article, I cover why a specialized agency helps with this search and 13 machine learning staffing companies worth a look. I'm a writer at Hire With Near, and we're a recruiting and staffing agency that places ML engineers, so I'm biased. Each listing sticks to what the company focuses on and how it works, so you can judge the fit yourself.

Why Work With a Staffing Agency to Find ML Talent?

A specialized staffing agency can find and screen ML engineers faster than most in-house teams, because it already knows the talent pool and what real ML experience looks like.

AI is now a standard part of how companies work, and that keeps demand for ML engineers high: 88% of organizations report using AI in at least one business function, according to McKinsey's 2025 State of AI survey.

A staffing agency bridges the gap between businesses and qualified professionals by managing the entire hiring process. This approach works especially well when hiring remote ML engineers, as it opens doors to a broad talent pool beyond your geographic boundaries while keeping overhead costs in check.

Unlike roles that require hands-on hardware work, ML engineering tasks (like model development, data processing, and deployment) can be done remotely, so a remote hire works well for most ML roles.

Here are some of the benefits of teaming up with a specialized staffing agency:

Faster, more efficient hiring

The process of finding a skilled ML engineer on your own can drag on for months. Staffing agencies speed up the process by sourcing candidates, screening resumes, and running first-round interviews.

This means you get access to ideal candidates much faster, whether you need a full-time hire or a contract ML engineer for a short-term project.

Access to specialized talent

Generalist recruiters often can't tell a good ML engineer from a great one, but specialized staffing and recruitment agencies do. They maintain curated networks of pre-vetted, highly qualified candidates, so you're only looking at professionals with the right experience and expertise in machine learning, data modeling, and AI development.

I asked Federico Bilello, one of our software engineering recruiters at Hire With Near, how a recruiter tells a strong ML engineer from one who just lists the right tools. This was his reply:

A big red flag is when a candidate claims proficiency with an enormous variety of tools — to the point where it just doesn't make sense. There's no way someone has six years of experience with six different languages. I look for equilibrium: someone proficient with specific tools but with a background using different frameworks, so I know they're resourceful, not just a jack of all trades.

— Federico Bilello, Recruiter, Software Engineering, Hire With Near

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A recruiter who knows what realistic experience looks like catches that kind of inflation before a resume reaches you. For ML roles, the same check applies to resumes that list every major framework, from PyTorch to TensorFlow to scikit-learn.

If you already have some AI/ML expertise in-house but need additional support to handle your business’s growing ML needs, an outsourced staffing solution that acts as an extension of your HR team might make sense.

Simplified international hiring

If you're open to hiring outside the US, a staffing agency can help you navigate the logistics of offshore hiring.

Offshore hiring gives you access to a global talent pool and widens your options beyond what your local market offers. If you're comparing regions, here are the top countries for offshoring machine learning.

The main trade-off with offshore hiring is time zones. Teams in distant time zones can move well-scoped work forward overnight, but they have little or no overlap with your working hours. 

If real-time collaboration is a priority for your team, a nearshore ML engineer offers practical benefits like smoother communication (thanks to similar time zones and cultural alignment) and cost-efficiency from regions with lower living costs. Our guide to hiring data and AI talent in Latin America covers the roles, costs, and countries in more detail.

Reduced hiring risks

A wrong ML hire is costly: months of salary and onboarding go into someone who can't ship the models you need. Staffing agencies reduce that risk by vetting candidates before they reach you, so fewer unqualified profiles make it to your interview schedule.

Many agencies also offer flexible contract-to-hire options, giving you the chance to evaluate an engineer's skills and fit before making a commitment to a full-time role.

What Are the 13 Top Machine Learning Staffing Companies in 2026?

The 13 top machine learning staffing companies in 2026 are Hire With Near, Insight Global, The Computer Merchant, Devs_Data, Agile Engine, CalTek Staffing, Focus GTS, ValueCoders, Robert Half, Acara Solutions, Adecco, Spherion, and The Judge Group. 

Most are generalist IT or staffing firms with an ML practice, so the right pick depends on whether you need talent locally, offshore, or nearshore in Latin America.

I determined this list by evaluating G2 and Clutch reviews, examining client testimonials on company websites, analyzing service offerings and specializations, and assessing track records in machine learning placements. 

The result is a list of solid options to consider, in no particular order.

Most of these firms list machine learning as one of many specialties, so I paid the closest attention to who has a dedicated AI or ML practice.

The table below compares all 13 companies by location, focus, and engagement model:

1. Hire With Near

Hire With Near is a full-service staffing and recruiting agency that helps US companies of all sizes hire top-performing remote talent in Latin America across finance, accounting, sales, software engineering, AI, data, design, marketing, operations, and virtual assistance. It ranked No. 118 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the US.

We simplify hiring pre-vetted ML engineers in LatAm who know modern ML frameworks and work in US time zones, so they can collaborate with your team in real time.

Our done-for-you hiring process typically delivers a shortlist of candidates in 3 to 5 days, and most of our clients make a hire in under three weeks. With Hire With Near, you never pay anything upfront. Once you make a hire, you can choose between a one-off fee and a monthly fee, depending on whether you prefer us to handle payroll and compliance.

We have a pre-vetted talent pool of 160,000+ candidates, and every search adds fresh sourcing to find talent that meets your exact requirements.

Our Latin American ML engineers work in your time zones, enabling real-time collaboration that's much harder with teams in distant time zones.

Hire With Near isn't the right fit for every ML project, though. If you want a team to build and deliver an ML product end to end, a development partner like Agile Engine or ValueCoders is the better call. If you need someone on-site in the US, a firm with a national office network like Robert Half or Spherion makes more sense.

Key features:

• Focus: Staffing and recruitment of exceptional LatAm-based talent
• Pricing: Interview candidates for free, then pay a fee per hire once you’ve found your match. 180-day replacement guarantee in case of compatibility issues. Most clients save 30–70% compared to equivalent US salaries.
• Pre-vetted talent: Our recruiters source fresh candidates for every ML search on top of our existing pool, run first-round interviews and English screening, and complete reference calls and an international criminal background check on your finalist. You then run your own technical evaluation, and we can help you set it up.
• Reputation: 4.9 rating on G2 across 160+ reviews
• Fill rate: We fill 97% of the roles we take on, with a client satisfaction score of 9.1.

2. Insight Global

With offices in the UK, US, Canada, India, and the Philippines, Insight Global operates worldwide and sources talent across 50+ countries.

Insight Global has over 25 years of experience in the staffing industry. Its database includes over five million pre-screened candidates, with thousands of ML experts who specialize in niche skill sets. Their decades of industry experience means they understand what it takes to match the right technical talent with your specific needs.

Key features:

• Focus: End-to-end staffing services, including talent search, candidate curation, onboarding, and payroll
• Engagement models: Short-term contracts, long-term contracts, and direct placement
• Industries: 29 industries, including engineering, IT, retail, administrative, financial services, government, life sciences, legal, and healthcare

3. The Computer Merchant, Ltd.

The Computer Merchant (TCM), a veteran-owned business, has been delivering IT staffing solutions for over 40 years, working with Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies throughout the US.

TCM combines the human touch of experienced staffing representatives with AI-powered sourcing to match businesses with the data management experts they need. Their extensive network of talent features specialists and cross-domain leaders who can take charge of your large-scale AI and ML initiatives.

Key features:

• Focus: IT staffing, engineering, and workforce solutions
• Engagement models: Staff augmentation, project team staffing, contract-to-hire, and direct hire placement
• Industries: Software and IT services, enterprise growth, government, healthcare, banking and finance, and aerospace and defense

4. Devs_Data

Devs_Data is a staffing and recruitment firm specializing in direct hire staffing. Based in Poland, they have experience recruiting across Europe, the US, the UK, and LatAm.

With more than 83 clients worldwide (including big names like T-Mobile, HelloFresh, BP, Zim, and BCG), their vast pool of talent features professionals with backgrounds from Oxford, Mensa, Google, hedge funds, and leading tech firms.

Key features:

• Services: Data engineering, processing, and lake architecture design, DevOps consulting, data analysis, data science, and ML advisory
• Talent verification: Multi-stage vetting process (including technical and behavioral interviews, algorithmic problem-solving assessments, and a final interview), resulting in an average acceptance rate of only 6.4%
• Pricing: Flat hourly rate, retainer fee, or fixed-price model

5. Agile Engine

Agile Engine has a team of over 1,000 experts across 10 global locations in the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

Their ML specialists bring more than nine years of experience in predictive analytics and are proficient in 36 different AI/ML technologies, including Python, TensorFlow, Scikit-Learn, PyTorch, and Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (CNTK).

Key features:

• Focus: Tailored engineering, AI, data, and design solutions
• Engagement models: Staff augmentation, dedicated teams, and 360 AI development services
• Services: Custom AI/ML development, AI/ML API integration, AI customization with proprietary data, and MLOps

6. CalTek Staffing

Founded in 2002, CalTek Staffing is a US-based firm that specializes in IT, technical, manufacturing, and engineering talent.

With 23 locations nationwide and headquarters in California, it focuses on sourcing engineers with ML expertise across various disciplines, including programming, data science, and other specialized fields.

Key features:

• Focus: Specialized technical staffing services across the US
• Engagement models: Temporary placements, temporary-to-permanent roles, and direct hire recruitment
• Industries: Aerospace, automotive, chemical, civil, computer, defense, electronics, internet, medical and pharmaceutical, oil and gas, semiconductor, and telecommunications

7. Focus Global Talent Solutions

Based in Florida, Focus GTS is a specialized tech staffing and placement firm with expertise in four key technology sectors: IT solutions, AI/ML and data science, digital transformation, and cloud services.

The company has worked with major brands like Adobe, Sony, American Express, Verizon, and Royal Caribbean. Their talent pool includes experts with a range of experience levels, certifications, and expertise in various related technologies.

Key features:

• Focus: On-demand tech staffing solutions, aiming to fill roles within 48 hours
• Services: Recruitment for IT, data science, business intelligence, analytics, cloud technology, and digital marketing technology roles
• Pricing: Flexible pricing for contract roles based on budget, while permanent placements follow a flat fee structure

8. ValueCoders

Founded in 2004, ValueCoders is a technology outsourcing and staffing company with a team of over 650 software professionals.

They provide access to top engineering talent from India, specializing in AI/ML and advanced data analytics. With a track record of delivering over 4,200 successful projects, the company is trusted by more than 2,500 businesses worldwide.

Key features:

• Services: ML development, MLOps consulting, ML model engineering, robotic process automation (RPA), and computer vision.
• Engagement models: Staff augmentation, dedicated teams, and project-based collaboration
• Industries: Banking and finance, travel and tourism, fintech, healthcare, logistics and support, e-commerce, media and entertainment, education, and manufacturing

9. Robert Half

With 400+ staffing locations worldwide, Robert Half has been a leader in specialized staffing services since 1948.

As one of the largest talent solutions and business consulting firms, Robert Half leverages advanced AI and in-depth recruiter assessments to connect businesses with top professionals, including AI/ML engineers and data experts.

Key features:

• Focus: Tailored staffing and consulting services for businesses worldwide
• Engagement models: Contract and permanent staffing as well as executive searches through retained services
• Industries: Technology, finance and accounting, marketing and creative, administrative and customer support, and legal sectors

10. Acara Solutions

Acara Solutions, an Aleron search firm based in India, has been a trusted provider of talent and recruitment services since 1957.

Its recruiters specialize in automation and AI staffing across engineering, research and development, and digital technologies.

Key features:

• Focus: Recruiting and workforce solutions leveraging India’s vast pool of tech talent
• Services: Contract staffing, permanent hiring, payroll management, executive search, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)
• Industries: IT, automation, aerospace and aviation, automotive, banking and finance, chemical, energy, engineering, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, media and entertainment, transportation, e-commerce, telecommunications, and travel

11. Adecco

Adecco, part of the Adecco Group, has been a global player in tech staffing for over 60 years.

Operating in 62 countries, it offers custom workforce solutions that scale to meet business needs. Its omni-channel approach (blending physical presence with digital platforms) makes hiring ML engineers efficient and accessible.

Key features:

• Focus: Workforce, talent, and technology solutions
• Engagement models: Flexible placement, permanent recruitment, training, outsourcing, and career transition services
• Industries: Technology, automotive, aeronautics and mobility, catering and hospitality, construction, energy, finance, food and beverage, healthcare, logistics and transport, manufacturing, public services, and e-commerce

12. Spherion

Headquartered in Georgia and operating in 36 states, Spherion is a US-based staffing firm with over 80 years of experience.

Every year, it connects more than 4,000 clients with top local talent, including AI/ML engineers and IT professionals.

Key features:

• Focus: Nationwide recruiting and staffing services
• Engagement models: Flexible staffing, temp-to-hire, direct-hire, and workforce management solutions
• Industries: IT, administrative and clerical, light industrial, finance and accounting, customer and contact centers, non-clinical healthcare, manufacturing, and hospitality

13. The Judge Group

With over 30 locations across the US, Canada, and India, The Judge Group has specialized in IT staffing since its founding in 1970. It provides staffing solutions for startups, mid-market companies, and Fortune 100 enterprises.

Its candidate database includes AI and ML specialists with expertise in AR/VR, RPA, computer vision, and image processing.

Key features:

• Focus: Business solutions with expertise in AI, ML, and predictive analytics
• Services: Talent acquisition, staffing, executive search, IT consulting, and learning solutions
• Industries: Banking, financial services, and insurance, government, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing and supply chain, technology, communications, and media

Final Thoughts

Whichever company you call, start with the distinction from the top of this article: do you need someone who builds models, or someone who ships and maintains them in production? A good ML staffing partner will ask you that before it sends a single resume.

Looking across all 13 firms, I noticed that most are generalist IT or staffing companies with an ML practice, and only a few, such as Devs_Data and ValueCoders, are built around ML and data work. That's fine for a general IT role, but for a senior ML hire, ask each firm how many ML engineers it placed last year and how it screens them.

If you want an ML engineer who works your hours and joins your team full time, Hire With Near is the right choice: we help US companies hire ML engineers and other data and AI talent in Latin America. Our guide to hiring remotely in Latin America walks through how it works.

Book a free consultation to talk through your ML role, or see sample profiles of pre-vetted ML professionals in Latin America to get a sense of the talent.

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