- Recruitment -
Senior, staff and principal engineers, engineering managers and VPs of Engineering placed across the six core European markets.
- Why this practice exists -
Engineering recruitment in Europe is a two-language problem. You need someone who can hold a real technical conversation with a Staff Engineer, and someone who understands the local hiring norms in Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid or Milan. Go Ahead HiRe brings both into the same search.
We focus on the senior end of the org chart: Senior, Staff and Principal Engineers, Engineering Managers, Directors of Engineering and VPs of Engineering. We also handle technical leadership for adjacent functions like Head of Platform, Head of Data and Head of Security. Searches are run by a lead consultant who works with technical advisors when a deeper systems-level conversation is required.
Read more about our six-step approach or the six European markets we cover.
- What we do -
A focused set of services delivered by a single accountable consultant, with senior calibration on every shortlist.
- Typical mandates -
A snapshot of the engineering recruitment mandates that come across our desk most often. If your role is not listed but lives at the senior end of the function, send us a one-paragraph brief.
Looking for a current opening? Browse our live open positions or submit your CV confidentially.
- Who we work with -
A representative cross-section of the engineering recruitment clients we partner with across Europe and the UK.
B2B SaaS scale-ups hiring their first VP Engineering or Head of Platform in Europe.
Established European product companies upgrading senior engineering leadership.
US-headquartered companies opening or scaling an engineering hub in Amsterdam, London or Berlin.
Private equity-backed groups consolidating multiple engineering teams under a single technical leader.
- Our approach -
Every engineering recruitment engagement runs on the same six-step search process: discovery, market mapping, sourcing and longlisting, calibrated shortlisting, client interviews and selection, and offer plus onboarding support. Most senior searches close within 6 to 10 weeks, with a calibrated longlist visible to you within 2 to 3 weeks of kickoff.
See the full six-step approach- Why choose us -
Our lead consultants can hold a real conversation about distributed systems, platform engineering and team topology. Where a search needs deeper systems-level review we bring in a technical advisor for the longlist calibration call.
European engineering compensation is fragmented across the Netherlands, UK, DACH, France, Iberia and Italy. We benchmark base, bonus, equity and total comp against the actual local pool, not against US or London-only benchmarks.
We are pragmatic about hybrid setups and remote-first teams across European time zones. For relocation hires we coordinate with global mobility partners on visas, the Dutch 30 percent ruling, the German Blue Card and the equivalent in other countries.
Brief us on the role and Darcie will personally come back within one business day with proposed next steps. Want to see how we run cross-border searches first? Read about our six-step approach or the six European markets we cover.
- Country specialisations -
Country-specific landing pages for engineering recruitment, with local salary benchmarks, market context and FAQs.
Staff and Principal Engineers, Engineering Managers and VP Engineering placed across Amsterdam SaaS, Eindhoven Brainport deep-tech and Utrecht B2B platforms. Technical sourcing led...
OpenStaff and Principal Engineers, Engineering Managers and VP Engineering placed across London SaaS, Cambridge deep-science, Edinburgh fintech and Manchester platform. Sourcing led by...
OpenSenior engineering leaders placed across Berlin, Munich, Hamburg. Native local sourcing, written Germany compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search...
OpenSenior engineering leaders placed across Paris, Lyon, Toulouse. Native local sourcing, written France compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
OpenSenior engineering leaders placed across Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia. Native local sourcing, written Spain compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every sear...
OpenSenior engineering leaders placed across Milan, Rome, Turin. Native local sourcing, written Italy compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
OpenSenior engineering leaders placed across Lisbon, Porto, Braga. Native local sourcing, written Portugal compensation benchmarks and a single accountable consultant on every search.
Open- Explore further -
Most clients work with us across more than one discipline. Browse the rest of the practice or return to the recruitment services hub.
Hunters, account managers and revenue leaders.
Open practiceBrand, demand and lifecycle specialists.
Open practiceSupply chain, customer ops and revenue ops.
Open practiceC-suite, country leadership and board roles.
Open practiceStrategy, transformation and advisory talent.
Open practice- Engineering Recruitment FAQ -
Five questions we are asked most often about engineering recruitment at Go Ahead HiRe.
Last reviewed: · Source: goaheadhire.com
Our lead consultants screen on architectural breadth, scope of ownership and team-design experience for Staff Engineer and above. For deep-domain searches (for example a Head of ML for a generative-AI scale-up, or a Principal Distributed Systems Engineer) we bring in a technical advisor for the longlist calibration call so the shortlist holds up under client interview pressure.
Related: See our six-step approach, Brief us on an engineering role
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
Both, at the senior end. For ICs we focus on Senior, Staff and Principal Engineers where a structured headhunt actually pays off. For management we cover Engineering Manager through VP of Engineering. We do not recruit junior or mid-level engineers - those roles are better served by an in-house talent team or a high-volume agency.
Related: See who we work with
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
We coordinate with specialist global mobility partners rather than acting as an EOR ourselves. For relocation hires we brief candidates on the Dutch 30 percent ruling, the German Blue Card, the UK Skilled Worker visa, the French talent passport and the Spanish digital nomad visa so there are no surprises during offer stage.
Related: See the six European countries we cover
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
For every shortlist we share a written compensation benchmark covering base, target bonus, equity (refresh and new grants), benefits and total comp. The benchmark is calibrated against the actual local market in the relevant country, not a US or London-only reference. This makes offer conversations faster and reduces the risk of an aggressive counter-offer landing late in the process.
Related: Speak to a recruiter
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
Yes. Confidential VP Engineering replacements are a regular part of our work. We run them off-market with no public job ad, a tightly scoped longlist visible only to a named client contact (typically the CEO or CTO) and reference calls handled through encrypted channels. The existing VP Engineering only learns about the search at the point of transition, on your timeline.
Related: See our management practice
Reviewed · Source: goaheadhire.com
Still have a question? Send us a message on the contact page or brief us on a new role.
