Edisen AS (acquired by ORB Group) – demanding tech recruitment in Portugal for a global marketing agency

Elen Muradian

Last updated on October 12, 2025 | 16 min read

Attracting skilled tech professionals in Portugal’s fast-moving market demands more than routine hiring; it calls for precision and planning. Edisen AS (acquired by ORB Group), a global marketing agency with a strong tech backbone, needed skilled developers to power its creative engine. That’s where DevsData LLC stepped in.

Client profile

Edisen AS (acquired by ORB Group) is a global creative and marketing technology company helping brands deliver content at speed, scale, and precision. Combining production expertise with proprietary software, they offer an end-to-end platform that manages everything from planning and creation to activation. The company employs around 230 people and operates offices in over 15 countries worldwide.

Their solutions are used by major brands, such as Amazon Prime, H&M, and Meta, to streamline workflows, localize content, and produce campaigns across multiple channels and markets. Edisen’s hybrid model of creativity and automation allows clients to maintain consistency while scaling globally. This requires not only seamless processes but also top engineering talent to maintain and evolve the tools that drive those processes.

Highlights:

• Global marketing technology firm with offices in over 15 countries.
• Offers an integrated platform for content creation, localization, and delivery.
• Requires highly skilled engineers to support platform development and automation.

Challenge: High standards and a narrow talent pool

Edisen set out to build a highly capable engineering team, one that could meet the complex demands of its content automation and platform initiatives. The expectations were intentionally ambitious, with the goal of securing only the most skilled and adaptable professionals. However, the combination of advanced technical requirements, a rigorous evaluation process, and geographic limitations made the search especially difficult.

Technical challenges

Edisen needed engineers with deep technical expertise, fluent in advanced algorithms, problem-solving, and system design, supported by years of proven experience. The roles demanded proficiency in modern cloud infrastructure (AWS), scalable backend development using Node.js and Python, and direct familiarity with media processing tools. Only candidates with strong references, versatile tech stack knowledge, and exceptional resourcefulness could advance, which meant that even above-average applicants were often filtered out early in the process.

Process challenges

The recruitment path was extensive and highly selective, involving a five-stage evaluation. Candidates were tested not only on technical skills but also on communication, adaptability, and cultural fit. The technical interview featured live problem-solving and architecture design questions, while the cultural stage involved collaboration on a real-world case. Reference checks were conducted thoroughly, adding another layer of scrutiny. As a result, many mid-senior engineers with solid backend experience were rejected if they lacked direct exposure to AWS scaling or media-processing workflows. This rigorous approach, though effective, slowed recruitment momentum in a market where top engineers are hired quickly.

Market challenges

Edisen’s requirement that all candidates be based in Portugal further narrowed the pool. While Portugal has a strong tech community, its size is limited compared to broader international markets. Finding senior backend developers, AWS cloud engineers, full-stack specialists, and experts in media processing workflows within this restricted geography proved especially difficult. The search demanded both precision and creative strategies to identify and engage the few professionals who met every requirement.

Goals

Edisen aimed to scale its engineering team with top-tier talent to strengthen its marketing technology platform. The focus was on securing developers with both advanced technical expertise and strong collaborative skills, ensuring they could contribute immediately to complex, fast-moving projects.

• Expand the engineering team with senior developers experienced in algorithms, system design, and modern tech stacks (AWS, Node.js, Python).
• Strengthen platform capabilities for marketing automation, creative asset management, and global content delivery.
• Ensure new hires demonstrate cultural fit, adaptability, and communication skills for distributed, fast-paced teams.
• Maintain a rigorous, multi-stage recruitment process while accelerating time-to-hire with DevsData LLC’s support.

From day one, our mission was to source candidates within the top 5-10% of the market while navigating tight geographic constraints and a multi-stage client-side evaluation process.

To translate these ambitious goals into concrete hiring criteria, the client and DevsData LLC worked together to define the exact technical and functional expectations for each role. This ensured that every candidate considered would not only meet the immediate technical needs but also contribute to the long-term evolution of Edisen’s platform. The following table outlines the core requirements for the targeted positions:

Our approach

We began by assembling a focused team of recruiters with deep experience sourcing engineering talent for product-led organizations. The first step was a comprehensive market scan of Portugal’s engineering landscape to map availability across backend, cloud, and media-processing skill sets. We quickly identified that while Portugal had talent, the pool was too narrow to sustain momentum for multiple senior hires with such high standards – only 30 profiles matched AWS scaling and media processing. In particular, specialists in AWS scaling and advanced media processing were extremely scarce, with fewer than 30 relevant profiles surfacing in our initial outreach.

Although the original requirement was to hire exclusively in Portugal, our analysis showed that expanding the geographic scope would dramatically improve candidate availability. We presented these findings to the client during a strategic video call, sharing detailed talent density data from Portugal compared to other European regions. With full transparency, we proposed extending sourcing into Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and parts of Asia – territories where our network and proprietary database had consistently delivered results. The client approved this approach, enabling us to cast a wider but still highly targeted net.

Execution was then launched across multiple channels, including job boards, LinkedIn, GitHub, and specialized engineering communities. Every candidate underwent a structured technical pre-screen, assessing architecture-level thinking, algorithmic depth, and communication skills before being advanced to the client’s demanding five-stage process. This rigorous pipeline mirrored our work with BrightCarbon Ltd., another marketing agency that partnered with us to hire two senior Node.js developers in Bulgaria under similar geographic constraints. In that project, precision sourcing and stack-specific vetting enabled us to complete the search in just under eight weeks – lessons we directly applied to Edisen’s case to maintain both speed and quality.

By combining market intelligence, collaborative expectation setting, and proven methods from previous projects, we ensured that Edisen could move forward with a well-informed, efficient recruitment process. This approach not only maintained momentum in a competitive hiring market but also safeguarded the technical and cultural standards the client demanded.

Execution and delivery

Execution was centered on agility and precision. We launched the first wave of outreach within 24 hours, combining our proprietary database of over 65,000 pre-vetted specialists with fresh lead generation. Every candidate underwent a structured technical pre-screen, focusing on architecture-level thinking, problem-solving depth, and communication clarity. Out of more than 180 sourced candidates, only 22 passed our initial screening. Candidates who passed were briefed on the company, role expectations, and hiring process, minimizing drop-offs and maintaining momentum.

Working on the project, DevsData LLC emphasized speed without sacrificing quality. Instead of pushing unvetted resumes, we delivered thoroughly screened shortlists within two weeks of project kick-off. Our efficiency came from a streamlined division of responsibilities and close synchronization with the client, ensuring fast iterations and reduced sourcing delays while keeping the evaluation depth required by Edisen.

Given the complexity of the client’s five-stage recruitment process, we synchronized closely with Edisen to ensure continuous feedback and iteration. Our team handled end-to-end candidate coordination, from scheduling to follow-up, ensuring a smooth experience on both sides. Within two weeks of kick-off, we began delivering qualified shortlists that met or exceeded expectations, allowing the client to advance quickly with top-tier applicants.

The collaboration resulted in several hires and laid the foundation for a longer-term recruitment partnership. The client was able to expand its talent pool, reduce the time lost to sourcing delays, and maintain the high standards it set from the outset.

Outcome

Over the span of four months, we successfully delivered four top-tier engineering hires for Edisen, well ahead of the 6-8 months typically required in the industry, exceeding the original hiring plan and solidifying a trusted partnership in the process. All hires were placed in high-impact roles contributing directly to the evolution of Edisen’s technology stack and marketing automation tools. By accelerating time-to-hire, Edisen saved an estimated 30-40% in recruitment costs compared to industry averages, while faster onboarding reduced time-to-productivity. Careful cultural and technical vetting minimized attrition risk, ensuring long-term value from each hire.

While the initial goal was to onboard three developers, the client decided to expand the team further after recognizing the exceptional quality and alignment of the candidates we presented.

Despite a complex, multi-stage recruitment process and a limited local talent pool at the outset, we maintained consistent momentum and adapted quickly to shifting requirements. The collaboration was marked by transparent communication, responsiveness, and a clear focus on quality over quantity. Feedback from the client emphasized not only the technical strength of the candidates but also their seamless integration into existing teams and alignment with company culture.

Since the initial project, we have remained in close contact with Edisen’s leadership team, continuing to provide strategic input on recruitment planning and market trends. The engagement has grown into a broader relationship, laying the groundwork for long-term collaboration in a highly competitive hiring landscape.

Highlights:

• Four developers were hired over a four-month period, surpassing initial expectations.
• Deep technical vetting ensured consistent quality across all candidate shortlists.
• Strong ongoing relationship built on responsiveness, clear communication, and aligned priorities.

What’s next?

As Edisen continues to scale its global technology presence and evolve its digital content delivery systems, the need for engineering talent remains a strategic priority. We are currently exploring new opportunities to support the company’s expansion into additional regions and technical domains, such as cloud security.

Future collaboration will likely focus on helping Edisen build more specialized backend and DevOps capacity, as well as identifying senior engineers who can take ownership of key architectural components. With the foundation of trust and performance already in place, DevsData LLC stands ready to support upcoming hiring initiatives as a long-term recruitment partner.

Looking to strengthen your engineering team under strict requirements and tight market conditions? Partner with DevsData LLC to access top-tier talent worldwide and keep your projects moving. Contact us today at general@devsdata.com or visit our website at www.devsdata.com.

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Elen Muradian Copywriter and Marketer

As a versatile and accomplished writer with 3+ years of experience in digital media publishing, Elen is skilled in crafting engaging content across various subjects, styles, and media. In her previous experience, Elen worked closely with editorial teams and visual artists to bring content to life. She always seeks opportunities for personal and professional growth and is eager to contribute to the writing field.

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