NewCoast Group – challenging IT recruitment for a proprietary investment fund

Ani Gasparyan

• DevsData LLC helped NewCoast Group, a private investment firm, hire a highly skilled backend developer with expertise in financial systems.
• Through a multi-stage recruitment process focused on top European tech talent, the team delivered a successful hire within one month.

Client overview

NewCoast Group is a multi-strategy family office founded in 2014 by Chief Investment Officer Simon Zhang in Irvine, California. It manages $70 million in assets, with a focus on real estate, public equities, and venture capital. Driven by the family’s entrepreneurial roots, the firm’s mission is to partner with top-tier technology companies and visionary leaders shaping the future.

NewCoast Group supports business growth by applying industry expertise and leveraging a broad network of relationships. The firm works closely with ambitious founders who develop scalable ideas, focusing on thoughtful decision-making and meaningful collaboration. Its investment approach is grounded in strong partnerships and a commitment to progress.

Introduction

As part of its updated investment strategy, NewCoast Group has placed a greater focus on developing its technical capabilities to support smarter decision-making and faster trading. To meet these goals, the firm set out to grow its engineering team by hiring a senior backend software developer with advanced skills. The right candidate needed strong technical knowledge along with a solid grasp of financial markets and investment operations. To support the search, NewCoast Group partnered with DevsData LLC, leveraging their expertise in identifying skilled engineers for demanding roles.

Project summary

The recruitment project aimed to hire a backend software developer capable of designing and maintaining Python applications for live trading systems. The candidate needed a strong computer science background, extensive Python experience with tools like NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, and Scikit-learn, and expertise in data engineering and distributed computing, including familiarity with Kubernetes.

Responsibilities included building large-scale data processing systems, optimizing distributed systems for real-time trading, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure code quality and integrity. Additional experience, such as a background in quantitative development, proficiency in JavaScript (e.g., Vue.js or React.js), and knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform, AWS CDK), was highly valued.

Challenge

“The recruitment faced significant challenges due to the client’s high expectations. The candidate needed to possess advanced knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and operating systems, alongside deep Python expertise for data processing and algorithmic trading models.”

This hiring need arose as part of a broader initiative to upgrade the company’s trading infrastructure and strengthen its algorithmic trading capabilities. The client sought to enhance system performance and stay ahead of evolving market demands. They were seeking a backend expert who could handle highly technical, latency-sensitive environments and contribute to real-time decision-making systems.

Bringing in the right talent was expected to unlock significant business value. By improving the efficiency and reliability of their systems, the company could execute trades faster, reduce operational risk, and experiment with more complex trading models. Ultimately, this hire would enable the business to scale its operations, stay competitive in a data-driven market, and support future growth through technological innovation.

DevsData LLC’s approach

DevsData LLC followed a structured, multi-stage recruitment process that included sourcing, screening, and interviews, each designed to meet NewCoast Group’s strict requirements within a one-month timeframe. The client had previously struggled to fill this highly specialized role through internal channels, facing a limited response and a lack of candidates who met both the technical and domain-specific criteria.

DevsData LLC took a practical, experience-driven approach to this search. With access to a network of over 65,000 vetted professionals across Europe, they delivered where others had come up short. Thanks to their deep understanding of the market and careful screening process, they found a standout candidate who quickly got to work on key technical projects, including real-time trading systems.

Sourcing

The sourcing phase prioritized identifying candidates with a robust computer science foundation and specialized skills in Python and data engineering. DevsData LLC leveraged its extensive network across Europe, focusing on Poland’s vibrant tech ecosystem, known for its highly skilled developers. The search also extended to other Eastern European countries to tap into diverse talent pools. Job boards, professional networks like LinkedIn, and DevsData LLC’s proprietary database were used to source candidates with experience in distributed systems and financial technologies.

“The team targeted individuals with proven expertise in Python libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, and Scikit-learn, as well as familiarity with Kubernetes.”

This stage focused on identifying candidates with the right combination of technical expertise and domain knowledge. DevsData LLC prioritized individuals with strong academic backgrounds, experience in demanding technical environments, and a deep understanding of Python for data engineering and distributed systems. Just as important, each candidate demonstrated familiarity with financial markets, which was essential for contributing to projects related to trading.

Screening

The screening process was designed to evaluate candidates’ technical proficiency and domain knowledge rigorously. In addition, candidates were evaluated for their understanding of algorithmic trading concepts, with an emphasis on their ability to contribute to real-world initiatives, such as optimizing order execution algorithms or improving the performance of data pipelines that support live trading decisions.

The screening phase included resume analysis to verify experience with large-scale data processing and collaboration in cross-functional teams. Only candidates who demonstrated a strong computer science background, including knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and operating systems, were advanced to the next stage.

Interviews

The interview stage consisted of multiple rounds to evaluate both technical expertise and cultural fit.

“Technical interviews included live coding challenges to assess candidates’ proficiency in data structures (e.g., trees, graphs, hash tables) and algorithms (e.g., sorting, searching, dynamic programming).”

Candidates were also asked to design and simulate distributed systems relevant to practical trading operations. Familiarity with Kubernetes was tested through scenario-based questions, such as optimizing cluster performance or debugging containerized applications.

Behavioral interviews focused on adaptability, eagerness to learn new technologies, and genuine interest in financial markets. Collaboration skills were assessed through discussions of past experiences working with cross-functional teams, with an emphasis on the ability to define and deliver new features. This stage helped identify candidates who not only had strong technical skills but also worked well with others and showed genuine curiosity about new tools and ideas.

Results

DevsData LLC successfully hired a senior backend software developer from Serbia within one month, delivering a candidate who met both the core and preferred requirements. The hire brought strong technical and financial expertise, aligning well with NewCoast Group’s expectations. Key highlights include:

• Strong data science background with advanced Python skills
• Experience with Kubernetes and distributed computing
• Background as a Quantitative Developer
• Additional proficiency in React.js, covering key nice-to-have criteria
• Skilled in designing and optimizing trading systems
• Availability during US trading hours

The candidate quickly became a valuable part of the team, contributing to the development of data processing pipelines and assisting in refining trading-related algorithms. The client praised their ability to grasp complex financial concepts early on and highlighted their strong performance during the first code reviews and sprint cycles. Beyond the technical contributions, the successful hire helped ease the team’s workload, accelerate key development timelines, and strengthen the company’s ability to scale its trading infrastructure. DevsData LLC’s support ultimately enabled the client to move forward with critical product improvements that had previously been delayed due to the talent gap.

The developer also introduced improvements to internal systems, including clearer documentation practices, better organization of backend services, and smoother data flow between components. These changes made it easier for the team to maintain and extend existing tools, reduced time spent on debugging, and supported faster iteration on new features.

What’s next?

With this successful hire in place, NewCoast Group is now in a stronger position to continue evolving its trading infrastructure and explore more advanced algorithmic strategies. The company plans to scale its engineering team further in the coming months, with an emphasis on performance optimization, automation, and leveraging AI for predictive analytics in trading.

Building on the success of this collaboration, DevsData LLC remains a strategic recruitment partner for future hires, ready to provide top-tier talent across software engineering, DevOps, and data science. The client has already expressed interest in expanding the team with additional backend and data engineering specialists as their product roadmap accelerates.

Project highlights

Building a high-performance trading system and need specialized tech talent?

DevsData LLC helped NewCoast Group hire a backend developer with deep Python and data engineering expertise, essential for real-time trading infrastructure.

Contact DevsData LLC at general@devsdata.com or visit www.devsdata.com to learn how we can source elite developers to power your trading systems in record time.