software engineer recruitment
your next software engineer, in good hands.
We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to find the headhunter best suited to your role, from the junior joining a product team to the staff engineer who owns its architecture.
- no setup fees, pay on hire
- guaranteed replacement
- hire signed in under 26 days
they hire their tech teams with muzzo
how it works
you only pay if you hire
01
you describe the role
Using the form above: the role, your company, your stack. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.
02
the right headhunters get started
Those who have already recruited software engineers at your level, for product teams.
03
you meet the profiles
Already approached and qualified. You choose who you meet.
04
you hire, then you pay
Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.
they hired with muzzo
Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.
With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.
let's talk about your role
Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.
Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo
one last question?
You set the fee for each role, between 5 and 30%. You only pay it once the person is hired. No fixed fees, no deposit. If you don't hire, you pay nothing. The Muzzo team helps you choose the right amount.
You have a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost. If we don't find a replacement within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of new hires are still in post after 3 months.
Click “get started” and describe your role in two steps. The Muzzo team gets back to you to refine what you need. Then the headhunters who make the most placements for this role get to work. Launching is free, with no exclusivity.
headhunters who recruit software engineers are ready to start
A hire signed in under 26 days. You only pay when you hire.
the reality
a software engineer chooses their team as much as you choose them
an English job title, a clear levelling framework
Software engineer is the title used by product teams that work in English, with clear levels: junior, mid-level, senior, staff. The headhunter pins down your levels and your salary range before approaching anyone.
your process is judged at every step
Coding exercise, system design interview, meeting the team: a good software engineer rates your process as much as you rate theirs. The headhunter prepares them for each step and tells you what they think of it.
you're compared with the big tech companies
The best engineers compare salary, equity, remote work and the level of the team. The headhunter knows what will move someone who already has a job, and tells you before the offer, not after a refusal.
the profiles
the software engineers our headhunters go after for you
From the first role to staff level, each search goes to a headhunter who already recruits at that level.
junior and mid-level software engineer
A few years of coding in a product team, comfortable in English. They pick up tickets on their own and grow fast with good mentoring.
already hired through Muzzo
senior software engineer
They design whole features, review other people's code and own the quality of part of the product. The most sought-after level on the market.
already hired through Muzzo
staff engineer
They drive technical choices that affect several teams, without managing people. A rare role, almost always filled by approaching people already in post.
already hired through Muzzo
founding engineer
The first engineer of a startup, often working alongside the founders. They build the product and lay the foundations of the tech team.
already hired through Muzzo
forward deployed engineer
An engineer working as close as possible to customers, adapting the product to their real use cases. A recent role, in high demand at AI startups.
already hired through Muzzo
backend or Python software engineer
On the server side, on high-load or data-heavy products. Often in Python, Go or Java.
already hired through Muzzo
Rust software engineer
For products where performance and reliability come first: infrastructure, finance, blockchain. Still a small community, so the network matters.
already hired through Muzzo
the method
one headhunter per role, not one firm for everything
We have tracked every headhunter since November 2020, on three criteria: how many hires they make, the quality of their profiles, their speed.
you describe the role
You fill in the form, then we talk it through: the level, the stack, the working language, the salary and the equity. You set the fee, between 5 and 30%.
we choose the headhunters
From more than 2,500 selected headhunters, we keep those who place the most developers on your stack.
you meet the right profiles
The headhunters approach every profile and check their real level, their English and what they have shipped. You receive fewer CVs, but ones that match.
you only pay if you hire
Nothing to pay upfront. No fixed fees, no deposit.
hiring a software engineer: what you need to know
why use a headhunter for software engineer recruitment?
Software engineer recruitment targets people trained in good engineering practice: testing, code review, design, continuous delivery. These engineers often work in English, in product teams, and are courted by French and foreign companies alike.
According to Dares, the French labour ministry's statistics office, IT was still under strong hiring pressure in 2024 despite a clear easing, with a shortage of available people and roles that require specific training. A tech headhunter goes after these profiles where they work, and pitches your project in their language.
junior, senior or staff software engineer: which level to hire?
A junior software engineer delivers well-scoped tasks with the team's help. A senior owns a feature end to end and helps juniors grow. A staff engineer shapes the architecture and technical choices of several teams, without necessarily managing anyone.
Titles vary from one company to the next. The headhunter does not rely on the title: they look at system size, decisions made and impact on the team. In the brief, state the expected level and what the person will have to decide alone.
software engineer or developer: which job title should you use?
In practice the two jobs overlap. In France, "software engineer" is the title used by teams that work in English and the way tech companies do: product, data, continuous delivery. "Développeur" (developer) is still more common in French-speaking teams and IT services firms.
The title matters for being found: an engineer aiming for an international team searches for "software engineer". Our headhunters recruit both, and advise you on the title that will attract the right profile.
founding engineer, forward deployed engineer: the newer roles
A founding engineer is one of a startup's first engineers: they build the product with the founders, choose the stack and hire the next people. A forward deployed engineer works on customer sites to adapt and roll out the product, halfway between engineering and customer work.
These roles are rare and good profiles even rarer. Our headhunters have already filled them: they know who has lived through a startup's early days, and who can talk to a customer.
how much does it cost to hire a software engineer with Muzzo?
Most agencies charge a percentage of the new hire's gross annual salary, sometimes with a deposit when the search starts. With Muzzo, you set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire. No deposit, no fixed fees, and getting started is free, with no exclusivity.
If the new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost. If no replacement is found within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fee. On average, a Muzzo hire is signed in 26 days, from brief to signature.
your questions about hiring software engineers
On average, a Muzzo hire takes 26 days, across all roles, over the last 12 months. For a software engineer, the timing depends mostly on the level (a staff engineer takes longer to find than a mid-level one) and the number of steps in your process. The Muzzo team gives you an estimate from your first conversation.
Often, it's the same job. Software engineer is the title used by product teams that work in English, with a level framework. Developer is still more common in French companies. For the search, what matters is the stack, the level and the team.
Yes. Many tech teams work in English, and our headhunters approach engineers who are comfortable working in it. Say so in the brief: it is a search criterion, not a detail.
Yes. It is common after a funding round. Each level can go to a different headhunter, the searches move forward in parallel and you follow everything in one place.