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Caraway, Inc. – IT recruitment of a software engineering lead for a big American eCommerce brand

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Caraway, Inc. was scaling fast, too fast for its tech infrastructure to keep pace. To sustain growth, the company needed more than a senior developer; they needed a true Lead Software Engineer. That meant someone who could take ownership of technical strategy, design scalable backend systems, and guide implementation across the full stack. Beyond hands-on coding, the role required balancing short-term delivery with long-term architectural decisions, mentoring junior developers, and enforcing best practices in deployment, testing, and system performance. The right hire would act as both a technical lead and team enabler, building not just software but a stronger engineering culture aligned with Caraway’s fast-moving business goals.

DevsData LLC delivered, placing a top-tier full stack engineer with proven leadership experience, deep knowledge of Caraway’s tech stack, and the strategic mindset needed to build a resilient engineering culture.

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Project highlights

Field Details
Client Caraway, Inc.
Role recruited Lead Software Engineer
Industry eCommerce
Key technologies JavaScript, React, PHP, WooCommerce, Laravel, Node.js
Duration Ongoing partnership
Outcome Successful integration of a highly skilled Lead Software Engineer, enhancing Caraway’s digital infrastructure and team capabilities

Client overview

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York, Caraway, Inc. is a forward-thinking eCommerce brand that produces well-designed, eco-conscious home goods. Known for its rapid growth and strong online presence, Caraway has built a loyal customer base across the US, with products frequently featured in top media outlets and selling out during major launches. The company’s product line focuses on cookware and kitchen essentials crafted to eliminate harmful chemicals and promote sustainable living.

Caraway operates as a Series A Internet-first brand with an estimated annual revenue of $30.4 million. Since its founding by Jordan Nathan, the company has raised $70.3 million in funding from notable investors such as Bridge Investments, McCarthy Capital, and Five Four Ventures. Caraway’s mission is to provide thoughtfully designed products that enhance everyday cooking experiences, prioritizing both health and sustainability.

Project scope & objectives

Caraway’s rapid growth and increasing website traffic exposed critical weaknesses in its backend systems. The company urgently needed a Lead Software Engineer who could both optimize existing infrastructure and develop new eCommerce features to handle scaling demands. Stability, performance, and the ability to ship quickly without breaking core functionality were top priorities. With user demand surging and product launches becoming more frequent, the company needed someone who could architect scalable solutions while also providing technical guidance to a relatively junior development team.

DevsData LLC was chosen for the role based on its strong experience recruiting technical leaders for startups and eCommerce companies. With a reputation for quickly identifying qualified candidates and a history of successful placements in similar contexts, DevsData came highly recommended for this critical hire.

The recruitment process took just three weeks from the initial briefing to successful candidate placement – well below the industry average for a senior technical hire. DevsData LLC achieved this by leveraging its proprietary candidate network, clearly defined evaluation criteria, and close collaboration with Caraway’s internal stakeholders. This speed was crucial in helping Caraway avoid development delays during a critical period of growth.

The ideal candidate needed full stack development expertise across JavaScript, React, PHP, WooCommerce, Laravel, and Node.js, technologies critical to Caraway’s tech stack. However, hard skills alone weren’t enough. The role also required strong communication skills, experience in guiding junior and mid-level developers, and a solid history of managing complex eCommerce systems with a focus on performance, scalability, and seamless user experience.

To match Caraway’s distributed operations and growth strategy, DevsData LLC prioritized candidates with both strong technical backgrounds and leadership-oriented soft skills. For a Lead Software Engineer, this meant more than writing clean code – it required setting technical direction, mentoring less experienced developers, and ensuring consistent engineering standards across the team. Candidates with open-source contributions or speaking engagements at industry events often reflected the traits Caraway was looking for: strong communication, curiosity, initiative, and the ability to collaborate in a transparent, team-first environment. Bilingual proficiency was also valued to support clear communication across the company’s international operations.

Strategic recruitment approach

DevsData LLC’s recruitment strategy was built for precision and speed, essential for Caraway, which needed to avoid costly development delays during a critical scaling phase. From initial briefing to final offer, the entire process took just three weeks – significantly faster than the industry average for senior technical hires. This efficiency was made possible by three key factors: our proprietary candidate network, a clearly defined evaluation framework tailored to Caraway’s stack and needs, and ongoing collaboration with the company’s technical and product stakeholders to align on expectations from the outset.

Sourcing & screening

DevsData LLC conducted targeted outreach through trusted platforms like CodersRank, LinkedIn, and Codeable. Instead of casting a wide net, we focused on high-probability matches – developers with deep full stack expertise (JavaScript, PHP, Laravel, WooCommerce, Node.js, React) and proven leadership in similar eCommerce contexts.

We evaluated over 20 candidates, prioritizing those with public-facing work, such as open-source contributions and well-regarded plugin development, indicators of skill, initiative, and problem-solving ability.

Technical evaluation

Candidates underwent a comprehensive technical assessment tailored to Caraway’s technology stack and business requirements. This included:

  • Hands-on coding tasks around payment systems, product dashboards, and analytics integration.
  • Review of past projects, focusing on backend optimization and frontend performance.
  • Behavioral interviews that assessed communication skills, leadership experience, and ability to mentor junior developers in a remote setting.

Selection & placement

Among the shortlisted candidates, one stood out due to a unique combination of technical depth and leadership experience. Dawid Urbański brought a strong portfolio of complex backend work, custom plugin development, and prior experience in eCommerce platforms, aligning closely with Caraway’s immediate needs. His public involvement in developer communities, including speaking at tech conferences and contributing to open-source projects, also demonstrated strong communication skills and a proactive approach to staying current with industry standards.

This profile was validated by Caraway’s internal reviewers, who appreciated the candidate’s ability to clearly articulate technical decisions and collaborate effectively during the interview process. Their feedback confirmed the alignment with both technical expectations and the company’s culture, helping accelerate the final decision.

“Caraway needed someone who could take ownership of the backend and lead a small but growing team. We focused on candidates with real eCommerce experience, strong full stack skills, and a track record of mentoring. The selected engineer matched the requirements exactly.” – Nenad H., IT Recruiter Lead at DevsData LLC

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Technical implementation

After onboarding, the selected engineer quickly assumed ownership of Caraway’s technical roadmap, working closely with product managers, designers, and developers to prioritize initiatives, delegate tasks, and implement scalable solutions. Key highlights include:

Backend optimization:

  • Led backend architecture improvements using Node.js and Laravel, coordinating with developers to streamline data processing and simplify eCommerce workflows.
  • Introduced advanced caching mechanisms, which reduced page load times by 25% and significantly improved site performance during high-traffic periods.

eCommerce feature development:

  • Oversaw the development of customized WooCommerce plugins, including inventory management and payment integrations, while ensuring alignment with business requirements and release timelines.
  • Guided enhancements to product dashboards, enabling real-time analytics and improving the visibility of transaction and engagement data for cross-functional teams.

Data visualization and reporting:

  • Directed the implementation of data visualization features using React and PHP – empowering Caraway’s marketing and operations teams with real-time dashboards for tracking daily revenue, funnel performance, and user behavior.
  • Collaborated with internal stakeholders to define key metrics and ensure that reporting tools supported decision-making.

Mentorship and leadership:

  • Instituted regular code reviews, pairing sessions, and internal workshops to support the growth of junior developers and enforce consistent engineering standards.
  • Championed best practices in full stack development, including automated testing, documentation, and continuous integration, helping build a more efficient and resilient development workflow.

Result & impact

The placed Lead Software Engineer helped Caraway achieve measurable technical improvements across both product performance and engineering operations. Key eCommerce features were rolled out successfully, leading to noticeable reductions in cart abandonment and faster backend processing, critical gains during a period of high user activity and growth.

Beyond implementation, the engineer streamlined internal development workflows by introducing structured code reviews and automated testing protocols. This led to fewer bugs and shorter release cycles, accelerating the time-to-market for new features.

The candidate’s strong industry presence also played a strategic role in enhancing Caraway’s positioning as a tech-forward brand. Their involvement in developer communities and speaking engagements helped attract high-caliber engineering talent and increased the company’s visibility in the eCommerce space.

Ultimately, from a leadership perspective, the engineer made a significant contribution to team development. They introduced peer review practices, hosted technical workshops, and actively mentored junior team members, thereby raising overall code quality, strengthening collaboration, and fostering a culture of continuous learning.

“DevsData LLC connected me with Caraway over two years ago, and it’s been a rewarding journey ever since. I’ve had the chance to work on high-impact, technically challenging projects that directly contribute to the company’s growth. The recruitment process was smooth and transparent, and I’m very satisfied with how everything turned out.” – David Urbanski, Lead Software Engineer at Caraway, Inc.

Conclusion

The successful integration of a top candidate as Caraway’s Lead Software Engineer underscores DevsData LLC’s expertise in sourcing high-impact tech talent with the right technical proficiency, leadership skills, and industry recognition. By aligning candidate capabilities with Caraway’s strategic objectives, DevsData LLC facilitated the seamless integration of a top-tier software engineer, optimizing digital infrastructure, enhancing team leadership, and ensuring a future-ready codebase and sustainable scaling.

What’s next?

Following the successful integration of Dawid Urbański, Caraway plans to further enhance its digital infrastructure with advanced data analytics, expanded eCommerce functionality, and continued backend optimization. Given the speed and precision of the initial recruitment, Caraway chose to extend its collaboration with DevsData LLC, not only for our ability to deliver top-tier talent quickly but also for our understanding of their technology stack, business priorities, and team dynamics.

Our team’s proactive approach, technical vetting process, and familiarity with scaling product-focused teams made us a natural fit to continue supporting Caraway’s growth.

As Caraway evolves into its next phase of digital maturity, DevsData LLC will remain a strategic partner, providing targeted hiring support, technical consulting, and access to elite developers with proven eCommerce experience.

Need help scaling your own engineering team with precision and speed? Reach out to us at general@devsdata.com or visit www.devsdata.com to learn how we can support your next key hire.

Discover how IT recruitment and staffing can address your talent needs. Explore trending regions like Poland, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil and more.

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Tsiala Jobava Copywriter and Marketer

Tsiala Jobava is a talented marketing specialist from Georgia. Tsiala holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Georgian American University and a master’s in Marketing and Communication from Barcelona Business School. She has built a diverse career, working as a copywriter and in marketing and PR, before returning to her first passion – writing. Along the way, she has gained valuable experience in social media management, content creation, and brand development.


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