Skip to main content
Startup StaffingSUS

Software, SaaS and developer tools

Recruitment for software and SaaS startups, paid monthly.

Software-led companies rarely hire one engineer in isolation. You are building a team that has to ship, scale and stay. Startup Staffing places those hires through Humand's specialist technology recruiters, and the recruitment fee is paid as an agreed monthly percentage of each hire's gross salary for as long as they stay — instead of a single invoice landing weeks after they start.

Build your hiring planTalk to us

Who this is for

SUS is built for technically complex businesses. If your hiring looks like this, the model tends to make sense.

  • Pre-seed to Series B+ software, SaaS and developer tooling companies
  • Teams making their first senior engineering or platform hires
  • Founders who are hiring in clusters rather than one role at a time
  • Companies with strong technical standards and a small internal talent function

Roles we recruit

Examples of the roles the recruitment team works on. If your role is not listed but sits in the same technical territory, it is still worth a conversation — and if it genuinely sits outside our expertise, we will say so.

  • Engineering

    • Backend Engineer
    • Frontend Engineer
    • Full Stack Engineer
    • Staff / Principal Engineer
    • Engineering Manager

  • Platform, cloud and reliability

    • Platform Engineer
    • DevOps Engineer
    • Site Reliability Engineer
    • Cloud Infrastructure Engineer

  • Data, AI and ML

    • Data Engineer
    • Machine Learning Engineer
    • Applied AI Engineer
    • Analytics Engineer

  • Product and technical leadership

    • Product Manager
    • Head of Engineering
    • VP Engineering
    • CTO

Why these hires are hard

  • You are competing with funded scaleups for the same shortlist

    Strong engineers are rarely on the market for long, and they are rarely applying. Most of these hires have to be approached directly and sold on the problem, not the job advert.

  • Early hires set the technical bar for everyone after them

    The first senior engineer shapes architecture, review standards and who joins next. Getting it wrong is expensive in a way a spreadsheet never shows.

  • Hiring happens in bursts, right after a raise or a contract win

    Several roles open at once, which under a conventional model means several placement fees arriving in the same quarter.

Why the SUS payment model fits here

The recruitment work is conventional specialist search. What changes is how it is paid for.

  • Recruitment spend tracks the team, not a single invoice date

    Each hire adds a known monthly figure while they stay, which is far easier to hold next to payroll in a runway model.

  • Cash stays available for product and go-to-market

    The capital that would have gone into placement fees in month one stays in the business during the period a new engineer is still ramping up.

  • Our interests point at retention

    Billing stops when the employment ends, so a placement that does not last is not a good outcome for us either. Over a long tenure the cumulative cost can exceed a one-off fee — the calculator shows exactly where that crossover falls.

All percentages and figures used anywhere on this site are illustrative examples chosen by you in the calculator. Your commercial terms, including any buy-out value, are agreed with you and confirmed in writing before work begins.

The short version

SUS in 60 seconds

Everything that matters about the Startup Staffing model, in six answers.

What is it?
Permanent recruitment for international technology startups and scaleups, delivered by Humand Talent Solutions Limited under the Startup Staffing (SUS) model.
How do I pay?
An agreed monthly percentage of the employee's gross monthly salary, invoiced monthly in arrears from their start date, instead of one large fee at the point of hire.
Who employs the person?
You do, directly, on your own employment contract. We are not the employer and this is not a contract or umbrella arrangement.
What if they leave?
Billing stops from their final date of employment. Payments already made are not refunded.
Can I buy out?
Yes. Pay the pre-agreed buy-out value and future monthly billing for that placement ends. Previous payments are not deducted from it.
What do I do next?
Model your hiring in the calculator and send it to us, or just tell us what you are planning. Your percentage and buy-out value are agreed in writing before any work begins.

Percentages and buy-out values are agreed with each business individually in writing. Any figures shown elsewhere on this site are illustrative examples, not standard pricing.

Keep reading

Tell us about the role, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.

A rough outline is enough to start. If the hire sits outside our technical territory, we will say so rather than take the brief.

  • A specific live vacancy you are trying to fill
  • Hiring you are planning over the next few months
  • Several future hires and how they would work together
  • Whether SUS is the right fit for your business at all

Prefer to talk? 01865 657 000

Prefer email? joseph@humand.co.uk

We use these details only to respond to your enquiry and, where relevant, to discuss hiring with you. We do not sell your data or add you to marketing lists without your consent. See our privacy notice.