Non-Technical Founder's Guide to Hiring Developers in 2025

You've got a great idea and maybe even some funding. Now you need developers to build it. But how do you hire technical people when you're not technical yourself?

This guide covers everything non-technical founders need to know about finding, evaluating, and hiring developers.

Your Options: Employees vs Contractors vs Agencies

Before diving into hiring, understand your options:

Full-Time Employees

Best for: Long-term product development, building company culture

• Pros: Dedicated, invested in success, builds institutional knowledge
• Cons: Expensive (salary + benefits + equity), slower to hire, harder to let go
• Cost: £50,000-£120,000/year depending on seniority

Freelance Contractors

Best for: Specific projects, testing before committing, flexibility

• Pros: Flexible, no long-term commitment, can find specialists
• Cons: Less invested, may juggle multiple clients, knowledge leaves with them
• Cost: £300-£700/day for experienced developers

Development Agencies

Best for: Building complete products when you lack technical oversight

• Pros: Full team immediately, managed delivery, turn-key solution
• Cons: Expensive, less control, knowledge stays with agency
• Cost: £50,000-£200,000+ per project

The Hybrid Approach

Many successful startups combine these:

• Fractional CTO for technical leadership and oversight
• Agency or contractors for initial development
• Full-time hires as you grow and can justify the investment

Where to Find Developers

For Full-Time Hires

Job boards:

• LinkedIn Jobs (broad reach)
• Indeed (volume)
• Otta (startup-focused, UK)
• Cord (engineering-specific)
• WorksHub (tech-focused)

Tech communities:

• Stack Overflow Jobs
• GitHub Jobs
• Dev.to community
• Local meetup groups

Referrals:

• Your network (investors, other founders)
• Current team members
• University connections

For Contractors

Freelance platforms:

• Toptal (pre-vetted, premium)
• Gun.io (US-focused but quality)
• Upwork (volume, variable quality)
• PeoplePerHour (UK-based)

Direct outreach:

• LinkedIn search
• Tech community Slack channels
• Conference connections

For Agencies

Discovery methods:

• Clutch.co (agency directory with reviews)
• GoodFirms (similar)
• Founder referrals (best source)
• VC portfolio company recommendations

What Roles Do You Actually Need?

Early Stage (0-1 Product)

Generalist/Full-Stack Developer

• Can work across frontend and backend
• Comfortable with ambiguity
• Moves fast, ships features
• Typical UK salary: £55,000-£85,000

Growing Stage (1-10)

Frontend Developer

• Specialises in user-facing interfaces
• HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue)
• Typical UK salary: £45,000-£75,000

Backend Developer

• Specialises in servers, databases, APIs
• Python, Node.js, Go, Java, etc.
• Typical UK salary: £50,000-£85,000

DevOps/Platform Engineer

• Manages infrastructure and deployments
• Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Typical UK salary: £60,000-£100,000

How to Evaluate Developers (Without Being Technical)

This is the hardest part. Here's how to do it:

1. Check Their Track Record

Ask for:

• Portfolio of past work
• GitHub profile (if they have one)
• References from previous employers/clients

Look for:

• Consistent work history (some job-hopping is normal in tech)
• Progression in responsibility
• Projects similar to yours

2. Evaluate Communication Skills

Technical skills matter, but communication matters more for early-stage startups.

Good signs:

• Explains concepts clearly without jargon
• Asks thoughtful questions about your business
• Acknowledges what they don't know
• Written communication is clear and organised

Red flags:

• Can't explain their work simply
• Dismissive of non-technical concerns
• Over-promises without caveats
• Poor written communication

3. Use a Technical Interview (With Help)

You need technical assessment, but you can't do it yourself. Options:

Bring in help:

• Fractional CTO to run technical interviews
• Technical advisor (even a few hours)
• Paid technical interview service (Karat, etc.)

Technical assessment approaches:

• Take-home coding challenge (2-4 hours max)
• Pair programming session
• System design discussion
• Code review of their past work

4. Run a Paid Trial

Before committing to a full-time hire, consider:

• 1-2 week paid project
• Contractor-to-hire arrangement
• Probation period with clear milestones

This reduces risk for both sides and lets you evaluate real work, not interview performance.

Interview Questions You Can Ask

Even without technical knowledge, these questions reveal a lot:

About their experience:

• "Walk me through the most complex project you've worked on."
• "What's a technical decision you made that you later regretted? What did you learn?"
• "How do you approach learning new technologies?"

About working style:

• "How do you handle unclear requirements?"
• "Describe a disagreement you had with a teammate. How did you resolve it?"
• "What does a productive day look like for you?"

About your problem:

• "Based on what I've told you, what questions would you want answered before starting?"
• "What concerns would you have about this project?"
• "How would you approach building the first version?"

Listen for:

• Thoughtful, nuanced answers (not "everything was perfect")
• Questions back to you (shows engagement)
• Honesty about limitations
• Enthusiasm for your problem

Salary Benchmarks (UK, 2025)

Role	Junior	Mid	Senior
Full-Stack Developer	£40-55k	£55-75k	£75-100k
Frontend Developer	£35-50k	£50-70k	£70-90k
Backend Developer	£40-55k	£55-80k	£80-110k
DevOps Engineer	£45-60k	£60-85k	£85-120k
Mobile Developer	£40-55k	£55-80k	£80-110k

London premium: Add 10-20% for London-based roles.

Equity: Early-stage startups typically offer 0.1-1% equity to early engineering hires, vesting over 4 years.

Red Flags to Watch For

In their background:

• Can't provide references
• Gaps they can't explain
• Badmouths all previous employers
• Claims expertise in everything

In the interview:

• Oversells and overpromises
• Can't explain past work clearly
• Dismissive of your questions
• No questions about your business

In trial work:

• Missed deadlines without communication
• Poor quality requiring significant revision
• Defensive about feedback
• Communication goes silent

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Hiring Too Senior Too Early

A £120k architect is wasted when you need someone to ship features fast. Match seniority to your actual needs.

2. Hiring Too Junior Without Oversight

Junior developers need mentorship. Without technical leadership, they may struggle or build poorly.

3. Optimising Only for Cost

The cheapest developer is rarely the best value. Factor in speed, quality, and communication.

4. Skipping Technical Assessment

Never hire based on interview charm alone. Always assess technical skills somehow.

5. Not Checking References

Actually call references. Ask: "Would you hire them again?" The hesitation tells you everything.

The Bottom Line

Hiring developers as a non-technical founder is challenging but manageable. Key principles:

1. Get technical help for evaluation (fractional CTO, advisor, or service)
2. Prioritise communication alongside technical skills
3. Use paid trials to reduce risk
4. Check references seriously
5. Match seniority to your stage

The goal isn't to become technical yourself—it's to build systems for making good technical hiring decisions.

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