Our client is one of the fastest-growing startups in the global IT infrastructure space, building a modern platform that simplifies IT equipment management across 140+ countries. Their system enables companies to deploy devices within 3–4 days, manage assets globally, integrate with HRIS tools, and automate IT administration at scale. Backed by strong traction and rapid growth, they needed a Lead Backend Engineer recruitment to help evolve their core platform architecture, a hire that, within three months of joining, contributed to a 31% reduction in bugs and a 23% increase in bug resolution speed.

Key Details About Our Partner

  • Type of Company: Fast-growing tech startup
  • Type of Business: B2B SaaS / IT Infrastructure
  • Industry: Global IT Equipment Management / IT Operations Automation
  • Stage: High-growth, scaling engineering team
  • Headquarters: Europe
  • Duration of cooperation: Q1 2026 and ongoing

The Main Challenge: Lead Backend Engineer Recruitment

The client’s CTO came to us with a specific and technically demanding brief. They were building a globally distributed backend system – covering device logistics, asset tracking, HRIS integrations, and an autonomous IT admin agent, and needed a lead-level engineer capable of doing far more than executing tasks.

The right candidate had to be able to:

  • Own and drive the evolution of the backend platform, leading architectural and technical changes across core systems.
  • Design and implement backend architecture with a focus on reliability, extensibility, and long-term scalability.
  • Build and evolve a globally distributed system for asset management, device delivery, and HRIS integrations end-to-end, from concept through production rollout.
  • Work extensively with AI-assisted development tools, specifically Claude Code and GitHub Copilot, as part of daily engineering workflows.
  • Collaborate closely with product and engineering to turn real-world IT workflows into scalable, well-designed systems.

The technical requirements for Lead Backend Engineer Recruitment:

  • 5+ years of experience in Java/Kotlin, with a strong preference for Kotlin.
  • Proven daily use of Claude Code and GitHub Copilot in professional development workflows – not familiarity, but hands-on fluency.
  • Experience working inside small, fast-scaling companies – candidates who had seen engineering teams grow from 5 to 50 people were strongly preferred.
  • Strong architectural thinking and system design skills.
  • Working knowledge of Python, which forms part of the product ecosystem.
  • A genuine ownership mindset and the ability to operate with high autonomy.
  • Solid testing practices and full responsibility for production-grade code quality.
  • Bonus: MCP protocol knowledge, and experience building automation agents or workflow-driven platforms.

The challenge was not just technical depth. It was finding a candidate with that specific combination of Kotlin expertise, AI-native development fluency, and startup-scale architectural experience, a profile that does not sit in a large available pool, even in Poland’s mature tech market.

The Solution Itentio IT Recruitment Delivered: Lead Backend Engineer Recruitment

We deployed a targeted, research-led recruitment approach from day one.

Requirement Analysis. We ran a detailed briefing with the CTO to understand not just the technical stack but the engineering culture, the pace of the organisation, and the specific challenges the new hire would face in their first 90 days. This level of context shaping is what determines whether we present the right candidates or just technically qualified ones.

Market Mapping. We assessed the availability of senior Kotlin engineers in Poland with real startup experience and — critically — practical fluency in AI-assisted development tooling. This is a narrower profile than a standard senior backend search, and the mapping shaped our sourcing strategy accordingly.

Targeted Sourcing. We activated our network of senior backend engineers with a specific focus on professionals who had worked inside scaling startups, had hands-on Kotlin expertise, and could demonstrate genuine daily use of Claude Code and GitHub Copilot rather than passing familiarity.

Screening and Technical Evaluation. Every candidate was assessed across multiple dimensions: Kotlin depth, architectural thinking, startup environment fit, AI tooling fluency, autonomy and ownership mindset, and ability to work asynchronously in a remote-first environment.

Candidate Presentation. We provided the client with a curated shortlist of candidates, each accompanied by comprehensive evaluation notes covering technical skills, cultural alignment, salary expectations, and our specific recommendations — giving the CTO the context to make fast, confident decisions.

Selection Process Management. We handled the first-stage introductory interviews and coordinated the full selection process, managing communication between all parties efficiently throughout. The client worked directly with two members of our team across the engagement.

Offer Management. We guided the final stages of the offer process to ensure smooth acceptance and a start date aligned with the client’s product roadmap.

The Results: Lead Backend Engineer Hired and Delivering Impact Within 3 Months

  • Engagement period: Early 2026
  • Outcome: Role successfully filled within the agreed timeline, with the hired engineer contributing measurable product improvements within their first three months.
  • The business impact reported by the client three months post-placement:
  • 31% decrease in the number of bugs across the platform.
  • 23% increase in bug resolution speed.
  • Increased capacity for new product features – a direct result of the platform stability improvements the new hire drove.

As the CTO noted: “After three months of working with Itentio IT Recruitment, we noticed an improvement in our product development speed and capacity.” (Clutch)

The client also highlighted two things as most impressive about the engagement: quality of candidates and communication throughout the process, both delivered on time, via responsive communication channels.

Why This Placement Was Significant

This was not a straightforward lead backend search. The requirement for AI-native engineering fluency, specifically Claude Code and GitHub Copilot as daily tools, not aspirational skills, is a profile that reflects where high-growth engineering teams are moving in 2026. Finding candidates who genuinely work this way, rather than candidates who list these tools on a CV, requires a different level of screening.

The results speak to what happens when the right match is made: not just a technically capable hire, but a person whose way of working was precisely aligned with how this company builds. A 31% reduction in bugs and a 23% improvement in resolution speed within 90 days of joining is not a coincidence, it is the downstream result of a placement process that prioritised fit at every stage.

Why Itentio?

Our ability to move quickly on a technically demanding and narrowly defined profile, in a compressed timeframe, for a hyper-growth startup where every week of a vacancy matters, reflects both the depth of our engineering talent network in Poland and the rigour of our screening process.

We were chosen by the client because of high ratings, geographic proximity, budget fit, cultural alignment, and value for cost and quality. We stayed chosen because we delivered.

Looking to Hire Senior Tech Talent in Poland?

At Itentio IT Recruitment, we specialise in connecting international tech startups and scale-ups with senior-level engineers in Poland – efficiently, precisely, and with over 99% candidate retention rate across nearly eight years of placements.

📩 Reach out via the contact form or email us at [email protected] and let us help you scale your engineering team.