§ I.Practice
From research through deployment
For teams building in AI, semiconductors, robotics, simulation, and defense.
AI
Research and applied ML, post-training and RL, evaluations, agents, autonomy
Hardware
Compute architecture, silicon design and verification, electrical engineering, RF, hardware/software co-design
Software
Product and platform engineering, embedded software, infrastructure, security, compilers and runtimes
Deployment
Forward deployed engineering, field application engineering, deployment strategy
§ II.Work
Selected placements
Role
Focus
Geography
01
Post-Training Lead
RL and reward modeling
New York
02
Silicon Systems Architect
Novel compute architecture
New York
03
Reliability Engineer
Evaluation and regression systems
San Francisco
04
Forward Deployed Engineer
AI for chip design
London
05
Deployment Strategist
Semiconductor customer environments
New York
06
Product Security Lead
Agentic application security
Remote
Currently searching across research, forward deployed engineering, and platform security.
§ III.Engagement
One principal, end to end
Every engagement includes role definition, market mapping, interview design, compensation guidance, and offer strategy.
Contingent
Individual or focused group searches, including coverage for in-house recruiting teams, with placement-based fees.
Retained
An exclusive search for a defining hire. Fees tied to agreed milestones.
Embedded
Embedded talent leadership. Build the function, lead the searches, and hand off to internal TA.
Contingent
Retained
Embedded
Individual or focused group searches, including coverage for in-house recruiting teams, with placement-based fees.
An exclusive search for a defining hire. Fees tied to agreed milestones.
Embedded talent leadership. Build the function, lead the searches, and hand off to internal TA.
§ IV.Thesis
Computing is being rebuilt across layers
Models shape hardware, hardware shapes product, and deployment shapes what gets built next. The loop keeps tightening.
Teams follow the architecture. Increasingly, the hardest hires need depth in one discipline and judgment across several. Research meets engineering. Software meets hardware. Product meets the customer’s environment.
Core Operative grew out of that work. Embedded with Normal Computing as the team grew from 40 to 70, I led searches across AI, hardware, software, and deployment, including building its forward deployed engineering function.
Companies move at the speed of their hardest hire.
Direct
Practice
AI · Hardware · Software · Deployment
Coverage
NY · DC · SF · LDN