How to attract and hire the talent that drives better engineering outcomes 

Developer Experience (DevEx) has quickly moved from a niche concept to a boardroom priority. For technology leaders under pressure to deliver faster, retain talent, and modernise effectively, it offers a clear link between how developers work and how the business performs. 

But while many organisations now recognise its importance, far fewer understand how to hire for it effectively. That’s where most efforts fall short. 

Drawing on insights from Ethan Sumner, Co-Founder and CEO of Community Stack, who has worked across large-cap organisations, this article explores what DevEx really is and how to hire the people who can actually improve it. 

What is Developer Experience (DevEx)?

At its simplest, DevEx is “the sum of everything a developer encounters when doing their job.” That includes tools, processes, feedback loops, documentation, and culture, the full texture of the working day. 

It’s often confused with related disciplines: 

• DevOps focuses on culture and collaboration  

• Platform Engineering builds internal infrastructure 

• Developer Productivity measures output  

DevEx cuts across all of them. It’s the human layer, asking whether the systems and processes in place actually work for the people using them. 

As Ethan puts it, organisations can have impressive platforms and still deliver poor Developer Experience. 

Why DevEx is now a strategic priority

The rise of DevEx is being driven by both talent and economics.

Developers have more choices than ever, and reputation matters. Poor working environments are quickly exposed, making attraction and retention harder.

At the same time, the cost of friction is now measurable. Ethan describes modernisation work that saved thousands of engineering hours in just days, making DevEx a clear business case rather than a cultural initiative.

Strong DevEx also underpins key performance indicators such as deployment frequency, lead time, and system reliability. Organisations that invest in it gain a competitive edge, making the quality of DevEx hires critical.

What good DevEx looks like in practice

Before hiring, organisations need a clear view of what “good” DexEx looks like.

In high-performing environments:

• Developers contribute meaningful work within their first week

• Infrastructure is self-service, not ticket-driven

• Feedback loops are fast and reliable

• Clear, trusted “golden paths” exist

• Developer feedback leads to visible change

Most importantly, developers feel their time and cognitive capacity are respected.

This is the benchmark DevEx hiring should aim to support.

Where organisations go wrong

Many organisations still mis-hire in this space.

A common mistake is overemphasising technical skills while underestimating the human side. As Ethan explains, “Technical brilliance without empathy produces platforms nobody wants to use.” DevEx is fundamentally about improving how people work, not just what they use.

Another issue is mislabelling roles. Positions advertised as DevEx are often Platform Engineering roles in disguise, leading to mismatched expectations and poor outcomes.

There’s also a tendency to exclude developers from the hiring process, despite them being the primary stakeholders.

What to look for in DevEx hires

Strong DevEx professionals combine multiple capabilities.

Empathy comes first
They care about the details of the developer experience, observing friction others have learned to ignore.

Technical credibility matters 
DexEx professionals don’t need to be the most technical person in the room, but they do need enough depth to be credible, allowing them to engage confidently with developers and understand problems from the inside.

Product thinking is essential
They treat developers as customers, focusing on journeys, adoption, and continuous improvement rather than one-off delivery.

Influence is key
DevEx rarely operates with direct authority. Success depends on working across teams, aligning stakeholders, and driving change through relationships.

The DevEx ecosystem of roles

DevEx is an ecosystem of roles working together. 

Common roles include: 

• Platform Engineers  

• DevEx Engineers  

• Developer Advocates (increasingly internal)  

• Technical Writers and documentation specialists  

• DevEx leaders or managers  

Together, these roles shape how developers experience their environment day to day. 

How hiring differs by organisation size 

DevEx hiring needs vary depending on scale. 

Startups: need generalists who can move quickly and wear multiple hats.

Scale-ups: require a mix of technical skill and change management to formalise what has grown organically.

Enterprises: face complexity, legacy systems, stakeholders, and organisational dynamics, where influence is as important as engineering ability.

As Ethan notes from experience, “the technology is rarely the hardest part at that scale.

How to assess DevEx candidates

Traditional interview approaches often fall short.

Instead, focus on real-world problem solving:

• Ask candidates to describe how they improved a developer workflow

• Explore how they identified the issue, gained buy-in, and measured success

Practical exercises can also help, such as reviewing a fictional developer platform and identifying friction points.

How candidates describe developers is revealing. Strong DevEx hires think in terms of real people and real constraints, not abstract users.

The role of community in Developer Experience