Recruiting a Senior Marketing Specialist for a Fast-Growing Startup

Tsiala Jobava

Last updated on July 14, 2025 | 12 min read

Introduction

In today’s competitive technology landscape, attracting experienced marketing professionals poses a significant challenge, particularly for fast-growing startups, which must meet ambitious growth targets, satisfy investor expectations, and launch high-impact campaigns with limited resources and lean teams. The pressure to deliver results quickly leaves little margin for hiring delays or mismatched talent.

This case study outlines how DevsData LLC successfully recruited a Senior Marketing Specialist for a European B2B technology startup operating in the digital compliance and transparency sector.

About the client

The client is a fast-growing B2B startup headquartered in the Netherlands, with a hybrid team spread across Central Europe. The company is at the forefront of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) movement, a rapidly evolving segment that aligns with new European Union sustainability regulations. Their mission is to empower brands by transforming compliance into a competitive advantage.

Their cloud-based platform helps businesses create, manage, and integrate DPP at scale. By providing end-to-end traceability, GS1-compliant QR codes, and transparency throughout the product lifecycle, the solution enables companies to meet legal requirements while fostering more meaningful connections with consumers.

Key differentiators:

• ISO 27001 certified, emphasizing enterprise-grade data security.
• Fully GS1 Digital Link compliant, supporting globally recognized product identification.
• Active contributor to the European DPP policy landscape, collaborating with major brands and institutions.

Operating at the intersection of compliance tech, sustainability, and consumer engagement, the company needed to solidify its position as a category leader, starting with a strong marketing foundation.

The hiring challenge

To support this growth, they needed a Senior Marketing Specialist with deep hands-on expertise in Google Ads, Meta campaigns, and SEO strategy – someone who could independently manage campaigns, optimize performance, and contribute to the broader go-to-market efforts from day one.

“This wasn’t an easy search. The client needed someone senior, hands-on, startup-ready, and fluent in both SEO and paid channels, plus able to work across cultures and time zones. The challenge was aligning speed with precision, and that’s exactly where our structured process paid off.” – Ketevan K., Recruitment Specialist at DevsData LLC

DevsData LLC was brought on to manage the entire hiring process, from sourcing to final selection. The ideal candidate needed to work independently, scale campaigns efficiently, and thrive in the fast-paced environment of a compliance-focused tech startup.

Core requirements:

• Proven expertise in Google Ads, Meta Ads, and SEO optimization.
• Strategic mindset paired with hands-on execution abilities.
• Ability to interpret data and generate actionable marketing insights.
• Experience working in B2B SaaS, especially with startups or early-stage ventures.
• Clear communication skills and comfort in working across hybrid, cross-functional teams.

Challenges included:

• Time-sensitive need: The role needed to be filled within six weeks to prevent delays in regional expansion, investor communications, and marketing, which had become a clear bottleneck to growth.
• Startup expectations: The position required a uniquely versatile candidate – someone able to operate with speed, autonomy, and adaptability in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Cultural and language fit: Ideal candidates needed to align with European norms and be fluent in English.
• Remote-readiness: The company operated in a flexible hybrid setup across multiple countries.

The combination of urgency, specialization, and cultural nuance made this a high-stakes search, requiring a strategic recruitment partner who understood both the technical and business sides of modern marketing.

Our recruitment approach

To help the client achieve its goals, DevsData LLC implemented a full-cycle recruitment strategy tailored to senior marketing roles in dynamic startup environments, with an emphasis on efficiency, quality, and alignment.

To source the right candidate, DevsData LLC leveraged a combination of platforms, including LinkedIn Recruiter, AngelList, Indeed, and its own pre-vetted marketing talent pool. The team also leveraged growth marketing communities on Slack and Discord while conducting targeted outreach through referrals and passive candidate searches.

Over 100 profiles were reviewed, with a focus on professionals who had led multi-channel campaigns (SEO, PPC, and paid media), contributed directly to measurable growth outcomes such as lead generation and CAC reduction, and had experience in SaaS, compliance, or regulated tech sectors.

This recruitment methodology builds on DevsData LLC’s proven track record in placing top talent for high-growth companies, including:

• A $9M innovation lab project for a global fashion conglomerate, where we assembled cross-functional tech and marketing teams to enable eCommerce growth and digital transformation efforts.
• Developing a full brand identity and website for a European space-tech startup, including logo design and typography systems. As part of the engagement, we also helped the client hire a marketing designer to support ongoing campaign visuals and product launch assets.

Screening & evaluation process

We applied a multi-stage funnel:

We also verified:

• Use of marketing tools (e.g., Google Analytics, SEMrush, Meta Business Suite).
• Ability to translate performance metrics into strategic decisions.
• Comfort with asynchronous, remote collaboration.

“We designed a multi-stage screening process to evaluate real campaign results, technical skills across platforms like Google Ads and Meta, and the candidate’s ability to work cross-functionally in a distributed setup. We were looking for someone who could own the funnel and drive demand generation from day one.” – Nenad H., Tech Recruitment Lead at DevsData LLC

Throughout the process, DevsData LLC maintained close collaboration with the client. Weekly syncs were held to share feedback, refine criteria, and align expectations. Midway through the search, the focus was adjusted to prioritize candidates with stronger SEO expertise. Only pre-vetted, high-confidence candidates were presented, ensuring quality and alignment at every stage.

Results & impact

Within six weeks, DevsData LLC successfully filled the Senior Marketing Specialist position after rigorously reviewing over 100 candidates and conducting five final-round interviews. The extended search was necessary due to the client’s need for a rare blend of SEO expertise, hands-on experience with Google Ads and paid media, and a proven track record in fast-paced B2B startup environments. The selected candidate stood out for their strategic mindset, analytical rigor, and ability to execute across multiple marketing channels.

After joining, they quickly launched demand generation campaigns across Google and Meta, optimized SEO workflows, and introduced improved reporting dashboards that offered clearer visibility into campaign effectiveness.

By applying a focused recruitment strategy, DevsData LLC reduced the time to hire by approximately 25% compared to typical timelines for senior marketing roles, contributing both efficiency and long-term value.

Why does this matter?

Hiring the right senior marketing professional is a critical step for any early-stage startup, especially in complex and highly regulated sectors like compliance technology. In these environments, marketing goes beyond visibility; it plays a key role in building trust, educating niche audiences, and clearly communicating complex value propositions.

This case illustrates how a targeted recruitment approach can enhance a company’s capacity to launch effective campaigns, scale demand generation with a measurable impact, and establish a robust marketing foundation for long-term growth.

Through its success fee model hiring model, access to a curated talent pool, and a role-specific evaluation process, DevsData LLC helped the client secure a senior marketing professional who began contributing meaningful results within the first month.

Conclusion

For this European client, the stakes were high: Enter the market early, scale brand visibility, and communicate a bold vision focused on sustainability and transparency. And they couldn’t afford to wait months for the perfect candidate.

By partnering with DevsData LLC, they hired a senior-level marketing expert 25% faster than the industry average, with proven experience in SEO, paid media, and B2B growth marketing. The result? A fully operational marketing function that’s now supporting product launches, lead generation, and investor communication across Europe.

Key takeaways:

• Strong marketing hires accelerate product-market fit and investor confidence.
• Senior talent with both strategic and hands-on skills is rare, but it can be accessed with a targeted recruitment process.
• Cross-border hiring for marketing is viable when cultural fit, remote readiness, and execution capabilities are rigorously assessed.

If you’re scaling a startup and need marketing, product, or growth talent that delivers real impact, reach out today at general@devsdata.com or visit www.devsdata.com.

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Read full bio

Tsiala Jobava Copywriter and Marketer

Meet Tsiala Jobava, 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. Outside the professional sphere, Tsiala is an avid Harry Potter fan who loves books, magic, and exploring new worlds through anime and K-pop (with a special soft spot for BTS).

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