Recruitment process for a demanding financial institution

Tsiala Jobava

Last updated on May 25, 2023 | 13 min read

Introduction

DevsData LLC partnered with a London-based investment fund specializing in algorithmic trading and cryptocurrency exchange systems. The company needed engineers who could build and support highly complex systems running at extreme speeds, where even small delays or errors could impact trading outcomes.

The client faced a familiar challenge among financial institutions operating in fast-moving markets – limited access to top-tier technical talent. Their internal hiring efforts had already stalled: most applicants lacked experience with ultra-low-latency systems, and those who did were often unavailable or unwilling to leave established trading firms. Despite strong internal resources and a clear technical roadmap, the company struggled to attract engineers with the rare combination of algorithmic problem-solving skills and real-time data experience.

The goal was clear: to strengthen the engineering team with experts who could make immediate contributions to core trading systems. What began as a targeted search for one senior engineer soon evolved into a strategic collaboration that resulted in the creation of a full engineering branch in Poland, built entirely through DevsData LLC’s recruitment process.

Client profile

Headquartered in London, the client is a digital asset trading group with around 100 employees. Their crypto exchange and algorithmic trading platform process large volumes of real-time data and require low latency, high availability, and strict operational compliance.

The company provides market-making, treasury solutions, and venture capital investments for the broader digital asset ecosystem. Its market-making division ensures deep, two-way liquidity across a wide range of digital assets on both centralized (CeFi) and decentralized (DeFi) exchanges. The treasury and structured products arm designs derivatives and options for institutional investors and token foundations, helping them manage balance sheets, generate yield, and hedge against volatility.

The digital asset market continues to expand despite cyclical fluctuations: institutional trading volumes on major crypto venues have risen steadily, and liquidity provision has become increasingly sophisticated as more assets move toward 24/7 global trading. This growth has heightened demand for advanced market-making infrastructure and engineers capable of building it.

The challenge

The client sought to expand its trading technology division by hiring Senior Backend Engineers and DevOps Specialists capable of supporting low-latency, algorithmic trading systems. These roles demanded tech-lead-level professionals with a rare mix of quantitative and software engineering expertise. Candidates needed proven experience in real-time systems design, performance optimization, and fault-tolerant infrastructure – skills typically found only in top-tier trading firms, hedge funds, or investment banks.

The project presented several major challenges:

1. Scarcity of niche expertise

The required skill set combined advanced algorithmic reasoning, C++ or Go-level low-latency programming, and familiarity with high-throughput data systems. Most qualified professionals were already employed in established trading or FinTech institutions, making the available talent pool extremely limited.

2. High market competition and confidentiality

Competing firms were simultaneously hiring for similar roles, often with aggressive compensation offers. At the same time, the client’s identity and product roadmap had to remain confidential because revealing details about trading strategies or technical architecture could expose competitive advantages. This limited how the roles could be marketed and how much information could be shared with candidates during early outreach.

3. Complex recruitment process under time pressure

As the trading platform was scaling rapidly, the client needed these hires within a strict timeframe to support new product launches. The recruitment process had to balance depth and speed: identifying world-class engineers without delaying development milestones.

These challenges meant the hiring approach had to be very deliberate – finding talent globally, keeping the process discreet, and assessing candidates against high technical and cultural expectations.

Our approach

To meet the client’s high expectations and overcome the project’s multiple constraints, DevsData LLC deployed a strategic, multi-phase recruitment plan designed to identify, engage, and assess top-tier trading engineers under strict confidentiality and limited market supply.

Addressing the scarcity of niche expertise

Recognizing that traditional sourcing channels would not suffice, DevsData LLC assigned a specialized team of three senior recruiters with experience in FinTech and trading-focused searches. The team launched a multi-channel global campaign using private referral networks, quantitative engineering communities, and direct outreach to engineers active on platforms such as GitHub and Stack Overflow.

During early strategic discussions, DevsData LLC advised the client on suitable locations for nearshore expansion. Based on talent availability, compensation benchmarks, and existing FinTech clusters, Poland emerged as the strongest option. Its technical universities, mature engineering culture, and competitive labor market made it well-suited for building a long-term engineering base. As a result, the search prioritized top-tier Polish engineers while remaining open to strong profiles from across Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Through proactive outreach to passive candidates, DevsData LLC emphasized both the role’s technical sophistication and its long-term engineering roadmap, which helped attract senior professionals already working at major financial institutions.

Managing confidentiality and market competition

Because the client’s identity and technology stack could not be disclosed publicly, all communication and job materials were carefully anonymized. Candidates were briefed under non-disclosure conditions and introduced only after completing initial technical verification.

At the same time, the DevsData LLC team navigated a highly competitive hiring landscape, with multiple trading firms pursuing the same limited pool of engineers. To accelerate outreach without compromising quality, DevsData tapped into its internal network of candidates who had previously expressed interest in trading roles and demonstrated strong technical foundations. This enabled the team to identify promising profiles quickly and begin the client’s evaluation process sooner, while maintaining full discretion and confidentiality.

To stand out in the market, recruiters positioned the opportunity not merely as a high-paying role, but as a long-term engineering challenge offering autonomy, technical depth, and exposure to cutting-edge algorithmic trading infrastructure. This approach attracted senior developers motivated by complexity, ownership, and meaningful impact, even in a crowded, competitive environment.

Balancing rigorous vetting with time efficiency

The project operated under a tight delivery timeline – yet accuracy was non-negotiable. To achieve both, DevsData LLC implemented a five-stage evaluation process that streamlined decision-making without compromising quality:

• Initial technical check – candidates were first assessed for core technical suitability (languages, system-level experience, low-latency background) to ensure only technically viable profiles advanced in the process.
• Timed programming challenge – simulated trading conditions tested algorithmic reasoning, optimization, and problem-solving under pressure.
• Rigorous technical interview – live-coding sessions focused on low-level programming, concurrency, and real-time data handling.
• Soft-skills interview – evaluated communication, teamwork, and decision-making in distributed environments.
• Client-side evaluation – a take-home project required candidates to design and implement a simplified trading engine, demonstrating production-level thinking.

This structured process filtered out over 90% of applicants early, ensuring only the most capable engineers reached the client’s final stage.

“The client knew exactly what they were looking for – sharp engineers who could move fast without compromising precision. Our job was to find people who could operate at that level from day one.” – Ava Haykuhi, Senior Recruitment Lead, DevsData LLC

The outcome

From the client’s perspective, every shortlisted candidate demonstrated a rare combination of analytical depth, system-level understanding, and experience in performance-critical environments. The interviews revealed that DevsData LLC’s pre-selection process was so rigorous that it saved the client’s engineering leadership significant time normally spent on screening and testing. As a result, after the first successful hire, the client immediately decided to extend the search to additional backend and DevOps roles to accelerate platform development.

During the first stage of cooperation:

• Over 250 candidates were sourced and assessed globally.
• 25 candidates advanced to technical testing, and eight reached final interviews with the client.
• The average time-to-hire was 4.8 weeks, significantly below the FinTech industry average for senior technical roles.
• The offer acceptance rate reached 100%, reflecting a strong match in technical expertise and company culture.

Within weeks, four senior professionals were hired, and the client committed to establishing a permanent engineering branch in Poland to support ongoing growth. This expansion enabled faster iteration cycles, stronger coverage across time zones, and better operational resilience.

Long-term partnership and growth

Over the following years, what began as a small-scale recruitment project evolved into a strategic partnership. DevsData LLC continued to serve as the client’s primary technical recruitment partner – supporting both team scaling and replacement hiring as the company expanded its product lines and infrastructure.

The collaboration eventually led to the creation of a 20+ member engineering hub in Poland, consisting of backend developers, DevOps specialists, and data engineers. These professionals now handle key elements of the client’s trading platform architecture, including low-latency order execution, distributed data systems, and continuous performance optimization.

Beyond recruitment, DevsData LLC also provided ongoing consultation on market trends, compensation benchmarking, and team structure. This included advising on regional hiring strategies, competition levels in key talent hubs, optimal seniority mixes, remote-work policies, contractor vs. full-time cost models, and long-term scaling plans. These insights helped the client design a sustainable engineering organization and make informed decisions as they expanded into new geographies.

The measurable impact of this long-term partnership includes:

• Noticeably lower system latency and higher platform stability.
• Reduced hiring costs compared to traditional vendors.
• A sustainable engineering structure that supports continuous innovation and expansion.

Today, the partnership stands as one of DevsData LLC’s strongest examples of how precision-driven recruitment, combined with strategic advisory, can evolve into a lasting technical alliance.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated DevsData LLC’s ability to deliver elite engineering talent for one of the most technically demanding sectors – algorithmic trading and digital asset infrastructure. Through global sourcing, meticulous technical vetting, and close coordination with the client’s leadership, a single hiring request evolved into the creation of a 20+ person engineering hub, driving critical components of the client’s trading platform.

The partnership stands as proof that precision recruitment can scale into strategic, long-term collaboration, directly contributing to faster releases, stronger platform reliability, and measurable business growth.

If your FinTech or trading company is looking to build or scale a world-class engineering team, DevsData LLC can help you achieve it – with speed and a strong focus on technical quality.

Contact the company via email general@devsdata.com or visit their website www.devsdata.com.