In the DevTools sector, the backbone of progress lies in the hands of brilliant minds – developers, designers and marketeers that envision, create and shape the future of software development.
At Develocity we take immense pride in playing a pivotal role in this digital revolution by connecting forward-thinking companies with the brightest tech talent around the world.
We hope these case studies stand as testament to this commitment.
Recruitment Case Study – EngFlow
Overview
Engflow, a rising player in the tech industry, specializes in accelerating software development with their remote caching and execution tool that successfully speeds up build times. With the founders having strong roots in the Bazel community, naturally they are the go to developer tool for companies utilising Bazel as their build tool, originally created by Google (and one of the founders of Engflow, Ulf Adams). While powerful, Bazel’s niche appeal compared to more mainstream tools like Gradle presents unique recruitment challenges, particularly in sourcing skilled Bazel engineers for specialized projects.
Engflow’s specific need was for deep Bazel experts, a rarity in the tech world often likened to “finding a needle in a haystack”. Their expertise ranges from basic usage to developing complex, custom rules within Bazel’s framework. Engflow relied heavily on their personal networks and struggled to find the time to explore the wider community to seek out the best in class experts.
Our Approach
Our journey began with a U.S. firm seeking Bazel engineers for a migration project. This led to a surplus of Bazel experts, prompting us to seek other companies in need of such talent. Discovering Engflow, we engaged with the founders to understand their hiring needs and identified them as an ideal match for our Bazel specialists.
Our first task for Engflow was to find a Head of Sales. By conducting detailed research into the developer tools market, we identified and successfully placed a suitable candidate within two months. This initial success cemented our role as Engflow’s “internal recruiter,” significantly contributing to their headcount increase by 40%.
Results
We continue to support Engflow’s growth, placing candidates in various roles including product designers, multiple Bazel engineers, developer support, a technical writer, and a head of product. Our ongoing market mapping also aids in identifying potential target customers for Engflow, further enhancing our value as a recruitment partner.
Client Recommendation
“Louise Ogilvy is the best recruiter I’ve ever worked with
Louise goes above and beyond in her services to EngFlow. Many of the hires we are looking for are “unicorns.” People with a very specific skill set like expertise in Bazel. Many of these candidates are in a non customer-facing role and Louise helps us convince them to try a customer-facing role with us.
Louise is always looking for great candidates and as soon as we let her know of a new open position, she often has multiple solid candidates ready to go.
Louise even helps us out by sharing some of her research with us when she finds new prospective clients that are using Bazel.
Louise is an absolute joy to work with and I am so glad we have her as part of our extended team!”
Matthew Beckman (Head of Sales)
Recruitment Case Study – Flox
Overview
Flox is a pioneering company in the tech industry, revolutionizing software development by utilizing Nix, a powerful package manager, to enhance development processes and efficiency.
Flox needed a Head of Developer Relations with a deep understanding of package managers like Yarn and NPM. This role was critical for their continued growth and influence in the tech sector, requiring a candidate who could not only understand their technical needs but also grow and nurture their community. But they were struggling to find suitable candidates.
Our Approach
Upon engaging with Flox, we conducted thorough research into package managers, particularly Nix, to fully comprehend Flox’s domain. This research was pivotal in tailoring our search for the right candidate.
Leveraging our network and headhunting expertise, we focused on professionals with relevant experience in similar environments. Our search led us to Ross, whose background in DevRel and experience in fostering open-source communities aligned with Flox’s requirements. Through detailed discussions, we assessed Ross’s fit for the role, ensuring his expertise and vision matched Flox’s needs.
Ross’s successful placement at Flox was a result of our meticulous approach, emphasizing deep industry understanding and targeted candidate search.
Timescale
From initial briefing call with Ben Futoriansky to first CV submission: 6 days
In total, 5 candidates were put forward for the role, and the successful person was offered the role within 5 weeks.
Client Recommendation
“Louise was without a doubt the most thoughtful and understanding recruitment partner we had worked with.
After sourcing a dozen potential recruiting partners, Louise stood out with her exceptional knowledge and understanding of the developer tools space, particularly as niche an industry as Nix in the open source community.
She came to the first meeting prepared with potential candidates that were already more relevant than what other firms had come back with days/weeks after. It just happens to be, maybe due to her hard work, that the first candidate she had officially recommended was the one we had given an offer to and has been an all-star for us.
We would recommend her to anyone asking!”
Ben Futoriansky (Head of Operations)
