AI, Data & Software practice

The compute is only as good as the people running it.

N+1 recruits the AI, data, and software engineers who turn a data center full of GPUs into a product. It is the natural other half of a data center practice: we staff the building, and the workloads that run inside it.

56%
AI-skills wage premium in 2025, up from 25% a year earlier (PwC)
#1
AI skills are the hardest in the world to hire for (ManpowerGroup 2026)
6
Core roles we staff across the compute and software stack

The full data center talent stack

A data center exists to run compute. Our Critical Facilities practice keeps the building alive. This practice staffs the people who make the compute productive, from the models to the platform they run on.

Role · live

AI / ML Engineer

Builds, trains, and ships the models that power intelligent products.

AVG TC ~$212K · UPDATED JUL 2026
Role · live

AI Product Manager

Owns products built on models, from eval sets to launch.

BASE $150-230K · UPDATED JUL 2026
Role · live

Data Engineer

Builds the pipelines and warehouses that feed every model.

BASE $130-137K · UPDATED JUL 2026
Role · live

Data Scientist

Frames the problem and builds the model or analysis to answer it.

MEDIAN $112-155K · UPDATED JUL 2026
Role · live

MLOps / Platform Engineer

Runs models in production and owns the platform they live on.

AVG $130-165K · UPDATED JUL 2026
Role · live

Full-Stack / Software Engineer

Builds the applications and control planes on top of the infrastructure.

MEDIAN ~$133K · UPDATED JUL 2026

2026 compensation at a glance

RoleBase rangeSenior / top total comp
AI / ML Engineer$134k - $193k$350k - $795k+ (frontier)
AI Product Manager$150k - $230k$250k - $550k
Data Engineer$130k - $137k avg$300k - $420k+
Data Scientist$112k - $155k$330k+
MLOps / Platform$130k - $165k avg$300k+
Full-Stack / Software$110k - $180k$600k+ (frontier)

Figures blended from Built In, Robert Half, Glassdoor, Indeed, levels.fyi, BLS, and KORE1 2026 data. Each role page carries the detail and citations. See the full salary guide for the facilities side of the stack.

Hiring across the stack?

Whether you need a critical facilities engineer to keep the site online or an ML engineer to make the compute pay, one specialist partner covers both, on contract, direct hire, or fractional terms.