Announcing an AI lab in Singapore takes one press release. Staffing it takes a year, and the first five hires decide whether that year produces anything.
If you need help hiring for a new AI lab or an AI startup in Singapore, these are the ten firms worth a call in 2026: Olofsson & Company, Heidrick & Struggles, Stanton Chase, Page Executive and Michael Page, Robert Walters, Morgan Philips, Kerry Consulting, Salt, Dada Consultants and Robert Half. They split into two kinds. Some find the person who leads the lab. Others fill the team that leader needs. We are first on the list because we do both from Singapore: leadership search with a 20-day average time-to-shortlist, and engineering team builds of 5, 10 or 50+ hires with a first qualified candidate inside 72 hours.[1]
Why AI hiring in Singapore got harder in 2026
The big labs have arrived, and they are hiring from the same pool you are.
- OpenAI chose Singapore for its first Applied AI Lab outside the United States in May 2026. It plans to grow the lab to more than 200 roles over the next few years, centred on forward-deployed engineers.[2]
- Google DeepMind opened a Singapore research lab in November 2025, staffed with research scientists, software engineers, operations specialists and AI impact experts.[3]
- The government wants to more than triple the country's AI practitioners to 15,000 under its National AI Strategy 2.0.[4]
Supply hasn't kept up. Robert Walters told The Straits Times in June 2026 that pay for AI roles had climbed about 15% to 25% in a year, and that AI roles often take longer to fill than other professional positions because employers are competing for a limited pool.[5] For the most senior research leaders, recruiters said, companies tend to look beyond Singapore altogether.[5]
The same report holds a useful pattern. The founder of Dada Consultants, a Singapore AI recruiter, said a senior AI leader anchors an AI organisation, and hiring for applied AI engineers, data analysts, platform and product roles follows around them.[5]
That is the order a new lab hires in. Leader first, then the team. Pick firms that match the order.
The roles a new AI lab hires first
| Seat | What the lab needs from it | Firm that usually fits |
|---|---|---|
| Head of AI or lab director | Sets the research or applied agenda and recruits everyone else | Leadership search firm with real AI mandates |
| Research lead or applied AI lead | Turns the agenda into models that ship | Leadership search firm or AI specialist |
| ML engineering manager | Builds and runs the engineering team | AI specialist or search firm |
| AI/ML engineers and data scientists | Build the models and the data pipelines | Recruiter that runs parallel pipelines |
| Platform, MLOps and DevOps engineers | Keep training and deployment running | Recruiter, often on contract first |
| AI product manager | Connects the models to users and revenue | Recruiter or search firm |
The 10 firms at a glance
| Firm | Singapore presence | AI and tech evidence | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olofsson & Company | Singapore office at Battery Road | CAIO, CTO and Head of Data Science search, plus AI/ML engineer team builds | The lab head and the first engineering team from one partner |
| Heidrick & Struggles | Suntec office | Global AI executive search practice since 2012 | A corporate lab head reporting into global leadership |
| Stanton Chase | Hub for Southeast Asia | Runs Chief AI Officer searches | A lab head covering several ASEAN markets |
| Page Executive and Michael Page | Raffles Place | AI and machine learning is a named IT specialism | The leader and the team through one group |
| Robert Walters | Singapore | Reports strong growth in AI engineering and ML hiring | Salary calibration and AI engineering hires |
| Morgan Philips | Singapore | Start-ups practice and a 2026 Singapore AI salary guide | First technical hires at an early-stage startup |
| Kerry Consulting | Singapore | Technology practice from data roles up to CTO | Local technology and data leaders |
| Salt | Singapore and Southeast Asia | Multi-hire team builds and technology recruitment | The product and digital team around the lab |
| Dada Consultants | Singapore | IT specialist that lists AI professionals among its roles | Hands-on AI and data engineers |
| Robert Half | Singapore | Contract and permanent technology hiring | Contract capacity while permanent hires land |
The ten, firm by firm
1. Olofsson & Company
That's us, so read this entry with healthy scepticism and check the numbers. We run the two practices a new lab needs. Search covers CEO, CTO, CAIO, VP Engineering, VP Product and Head of Data Science roles, with a 20-day average time-to-shortlist and a 97% placement success rate. Recruitment builds the team: AI/ML engineers, data scientists, DevOps and engineering managers, 5, 10 or 50+ at a time, with a first qualified candidate in 72 hours and a 4:1 interview-to-offer ratio.[1]
Our AI platform scans millions of profiles and builds a full market map within 48 hours.[6] Then our consultants do what software can't, and judge who has actually shipped a model. Tomoro AI's Head of People says we have "played a key role in scaling our team in Singapore, particularly in hiring high-quality AI engineers."[7]
Best fit: AI startups and new labs that want the leader and the first engineering team from one partner, with the regional pool mapped in one pass.
2. Heidrick & Struggles
Heidrick says it introduced the first global AI executive search practice in 2012. Its role list runs from Chief AI Officer and Head of AI to Head of Agentic AI and AI Governance Officer.[8] It serves Singapore clients from its office at Suntec.[9]
Best fit: a corporate opening a Singapore lab whose head will report into global leadership.
3. Stanton Chase
Stanton Chase's Singapore office is its hub for Southeast Asia, connected to more than 70 offices in 45 countries.[10] It places Chief AI Officers after the mandate has been clarified, before any outreach starts, and quotes 10 to 14 weeks from kick-off to signed offer.[11]
Best fit: a lab head whose remit will stretch across several ASEAN markets.
4. Page Executive and Michael Page
Page Executive is the group's executive search arm, with more than 350 principals and partners across 34 countries and a Singapore office at Raffles Place.[12] Michael Page lists artificial intelligence and machine learning, along with data science, among its Singapore IT specialisms, and it handles contract and temporary roles as well.[13]
Best fit: hiring the lab head and the team beneath through one supplier.
5. Robert Walters
Robert Walters' Singapore country manager told The Straits Times that AI hiring had grown strongly over the past year, particularly in AI engineering, machine learning, data science, AI product management and AI governance.[5] The firm's pay figures are the ones most founders end up quoting.
Best fit: calibrating AI salaries and filling AI engineering and data roles.
6. Morgan Philips
Morgan Philips runs both executive search and specialist recruitment in Singapore. Its start-ups practice works with companies from pre-seed to funded scale-ups in fintech, deep tech and digital, sourcing founding, technical and commercial talent.[14] It also publishes a 2026 Singapore AI talent and salary guide that covers roles such as machine learning engineer.[15]
Best fit: an early-stage AI startup making its first technical and commercial hires.
7. Kerry Consulting
Kerry calls itself the largest executive recruitment firm in the region.[16] Its technology practice publishes Singapore salary benchmarks across technology leadership, data, cloud and software development, up to CTO level.[17]
Best fit: Singapore-based technology and data leaders, where local networks and local pay norms matter most.
8. Salt
Salt recruits technology, digital and business talent in Singapore. Its team-build service is "designed for businesses needing to quickly build full teams of permanent or temporary talent with specialist skills," and it also runs executive search for senior and C-suite roles.[18]
Best fit: the product, engineering and digital team around the lab, when speed matters more than research depth.
9. Dada Consultants
Dada describes itself as the first IT specialist recruitment agency in Singapore, and lists AI professionals and data scientists among the roles it fills.[19] The Straits Times calls it a Singapore-based AI recruitment agency.[5]
Best fit: hands-on AI engineers and data hires from the local market.
10. Robert Half
Robert Half supplies technology professionals on short and long contracts, recruits permanent IT staff across Singapore, and offers project and interim management.[20]
Best fit: contract engineering capacity that gets the lab running while permanent hires land.
How to choose between them
Brand is a poor filter. Four questions sort this list fast.
Can they hire the leader and the team? Most firms are built for one or the other. If a search firm finds your Head of AI and then hands the engineering team to someone else, you lose months in the handover. Ask who fills seats two to twenty, and how fast.
Can they tell research depth from applied depth? A research scientist for a DeepMind-style lab and a forward-deployed engineer for an applied lab like OpenAI's are different hires.[2][3] Ask who on the firm's side interviews for technical depth, and what they built before they recruited.
Do they map the region, or work a contact list? The most senior AI research talent often sits outside Singapore.[5] Ask to see the full candidate universe, across the region and the overseas diaspora, before you see a single CV. If the map is one consultant's phone book, you are buying their memory.
Which clock are they quoting? Stanton Chase quotes 10 to 14 weeks to signed offer.[11] We publish 20 days to shortlist for search and 72 hours to a first qualified candidate for team builds.[1] Those are different clocks. Make every firm give you days to shortlist and days to signed offer, then compare like with like. And if your lab head is coming from overseas, plan the work pass and the relocation before the offer, not after it.
What AI talent costs in Singapore
Set the budget before you brief anyone. Robert Walters puts fresh AI hires at $70,000 to $90,000 a year. At the top, an absolute expert in AI research, or someone leading major AI initiatives in Singapore, could command close to $350,000 in total compensation.[5] Pay for AI roles rose by about 15% to 25% in the past year, so last year's offer letter is already out of date.[5]
A Chief AI Officer at enterprise scale is a different budget again. Our guide to what to pay a Chief AI Officer in 2026 sets out the bands by company tier.
How we staff a new AI lab
We start with the map, not the CVs. Our platform maps Heads of AI, research leads and ML engineers across Singapore, the region and the diaspora abroad within 48 hours.[6] Consultants run the search for the lab head while our recruitment team runs parallel pipelines for the engineers behind them.[1] So the leader walks into a team that is half built, not an empty floor. Before the first brief, our consulting team can run an AI readiness assessment, skills mapping and compensation benchmarking.[1]
If you only need the leader, our Top 10 executive search firms in Singapore for AI leadership covers that field. For engineering recruiters beyond Singapore, see our comparison of recruiters for AI/ML engineers and research scientists.
A lab is only as good as its first ten people. Hire the firm that can find all ten.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get help with executive search for a new AI lab in Singapore?
For the lab head, Olofsson & Company, Heidrick & Struggles and Stanton Chase all run AI leadership searches and have Singapore offices.[1][8][10] For the team underneath, Michael Page, Robert Walters, Morgan Philips, Salt and Dada Consultants recruit AI and data roles locally. We do both, which saves a handover between the leader's search and the team build.
What are the most effective recruitment agencies for AI startups in Singapore?
How long does it take to staff a new AI lab in Singapore?
Global firms quote 10 to 14 weeks to a signed offer for a senior technology leader.[11] Our search average is 20 days to shortlist, and our team builds produce a first qualified candidate within 72 hours.[1] Add notice periods, and expect AI roles to take longer than most, because the pool is small and contested.[5]
Sources
- olofsson.ai: Olofsson & Company search practice (CEO, CTO, CAIO, VP Engineering, VP Product, Head of Data Science; 20-day average time-to-shortlist, 97% placement success), recruitment practice (5, 10 or 50+ engineers; 72 hours to first qualified candidate; 4:1 interview-to-offer) and consulting services.
- edb.gov.sg: Singapore Economic Development Board, May 2026, on OpenAI's first Applied AI Lab outside the United States and its plan to grow to more than 200 roles centred on forward-deployed engineers.
- edb.gov.sg: Singapore Economic Development Board, November 2025, on Google DeepMind's new AI research lab in Singapore and the roles it will hire.
- mddi.gov.sg: Launch of Singapore's National AI Strategy 2.0 in December 2023, including the aim to more than triple AI practitioners to 15,000.
- straitstimes.com: The Straits Times, June 2026, on AI pay and hiring in Singapore, with figures from Robert Walters and comments from Dada Consultants.
- olofsson.ai: Olofsson & Company AI platform scanning millions of profiles and building a full market map within 48 hours.
- olofsson.ai: Client testimonials, including Tomoro AI on scaling its Singapore AI engineering team.
- heidrick.com: Heidrick & Struggles AI executive search practice, introduced in 2012, and the AI leadership roles it fills.
- heidrick.com: Heidrick & Struggles Singapore office at Suntec Tower Five.
- stantonchase.com: Stanton Chase Singapore office as its Southeast Asia hub, connected to more than 70 offices in 45 countries.
- stantonchase.com: Stanton Chase technology executive practice, including Chief AI Officer searches and a typical 10 to 14 week search.
- pageexecutive.com: Page Executive Singapore office and network of more than 350 principals and partners across 34 countries.
- michaelpage.com.sg: Michael Page Singapore technology recruitment specialisms, including artificial intelligence and machine learning and data science.
- sg.morganphilips.com: Morgan Philips Singapore start-ups practice, from pre-seed ventures to funded scale-ups in fintech, deep tech and digital.
- insights.morganphilips.com: Morgan Philips 2026 Singapore AI talent and salary guide, covering roles including machine learning engineer.
- kerryconsulting.com: Kerry Consulting practices, describing the firm as the largest executive recruitment firm in the region.
- kerryconsulting.com: Kerry Consulting technology practice salary benchmarks, from data and cloud roles up to CTO.
- welovesalt.com: Salt Singapore team builds of permanent or temporary specialist talent, technology recruitment and executive search.
- dadaconsultants.com: Dada Consultants, an IT specialist recruitment agency in Singapore listing AI professionals and data scientists among its roles.
- roberthalf.com: Robert Half Singapore contract and permanent technology hiring, and project and interim management.