Hire the right data people, faster. Role definitions, job descriptions, interview scorecards, and onboarding plans.
Who This Is For
Companies hiring their first data people or growing from 1-2 to 5+ data engineers.
Common situations:
- Not sure what role you actually need (engineer vs analyst vs architect?)
- Previous hires didn’t work out and you’re not sure why
- Job descriptions aren’t attracting the right candidates
- New hires take too long to become productive
- Building a data team for the first time
The Approach
1. Evaluate Current State
Map existing skills, gaps, and capacity against what your platform actually needs.
- What do you have?
- What’s missing?
- What’s urgent vs nice-to-have?
2. Define the Target
What does the right team look like for your stage and ambitions?
- How many people?
- Which roles?
- What seniority mix?
3. Chart the Path
Hire, upskill, or restructure? In what order? What’s realistic?
What I Help With
| Area | How I Help |
|---|---|
| Role clarity | Data engineer vs analytics engineer vs architect vs head of data - what do you actually need? |
| Job descriptions | Descriptions that attract the right profiles, not just keyword stuffers |
| Interviews | Participate in technical assessments and help evaluate candidates |
| Onboarding | Design onboarding so new hires become effective in your stack and context |
What You Get
Role Definitions
Clear descriptions of what each role should own and deliver. No ambiguity about expectations.
Job Descriptions
Ready-to-post descriptions for each role. Written to attract practitioners, not just pass ATS filters.
Interview Scorecards
Structured evaluation criteria for technical assessments. Consistent across candidates.
Onboarding Plan
30/60/90-day plan so new hires become effective in your stack:
- Day 1-30: Learn the codebase, ship first PR
- Day 31-60: Own first small project
- Day 61-90: Contribute independently
How It Works
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Time | 1 day per week |
| Duration | 2-4 months |
| Combines with | Other services (fractional, advisory) |
Why this duration? Recruiting and onboarding cycles need 2-4 months to see hires become productive.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
| Mis-hire Cost | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Recruiting fees | €15-30K per senior hire |
| Salary during ramp | 3-6 months before productive |
| Team disruption | Onboarding time from existing staff |
| Repeat hiring | When it doesn’t work out |
One wrong senior hire can cost €50-100K+ when you add it up. Structured hiring support costs a fraction of that - and prevents the mistake.
What Changes
- Fewer mis-hires - Right role definitions + better interviews = better fit
- Shorter time-to-effectiveness - Structured onboarding gets people productive faster
- Roles match reality - Responsibilities aligned to what your platform actually needs
- Team that evolves the architecture - Not just patches it
How This Differs from Recruiters
Recruiters find people. This service makes sure you’re looking for the right people - and that they succeed once hired.
Related Thinking
- You’re Hiring Data Engineers Wrong
- We Hired a 10x Developer. Then We Lost the Team
- The Genius Developer Anti-Pattern
- Why Your Data Team Is Burned Out
Related Services
- Senior Data Engineer Support - Fractional engineering capacity
- Junior Coaching - Level up your existing juniors
- Fractional Data Architect - Ongoing architecture leadership
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you help with the actual recruiting?
What if we're not sure which role we need?
Can you help with remote hiring internationally?
Building your data team?
Book a 30-minute call to discuss what roles you need and how to find them.