Our new developers were able to hit the ground running, we've worked with them for over two years now, and they are truly part of our team.
Alison WhittleProduct Delivery Manager, BladeFSIn-house feel, nearshore
Product Scoping
Turn your product idea into a build-ready roadmap. Our Product Scoping Service helps you define what to build, how to build it, and who you'll need. Whether it's an MVP or core feature release, you'll walk away knowing exactly what it takes to get moving.
- Roadmap-first planning - define your MVP or next big release
- Real timelines & team plans - clarity on who’s needed and how long it’ll take
- Dev-ready outcomes - scope fast and get moving
ReactNext.jsTypeScriptNode.jsPython
Our Service
Scoping with delivery in mind
We work with founders, product leads, and startup teams to turn vague ideas into concrete, buildable plans. With product-first thinking and senior engineering input, you'll define your app’s key features, timeline, budget, and team - so you’re ready to build with confidence.
- Clear roadmap - features aligned to real goals and users
- Time & cost estimates - no bloated assumptions
- Team structure plan - know who you need, and when
Know What It Takes
What you’ll walk away with
- Feature BreakdownA clean breakdown of MVP features, stretch goals, and phased delivery.
- Tech Stack RecommendationSuggested stack based on your product type, team, and future plans.
- MVP DefinitionThe leanest version of your product that creates value and validates your idea.
- Build TimelineA realistic estimate of how long each stage of design and dev will take.
- Team CompositionA skill-based view of who you need - from engineers to testers to PMs.
- Infra & API PlanOverview of how your app will store data, connect services, and scale.
Scoping What’s Best For You
We recommend the right tech - without bias or bloat.
Technology coverage
From your front end to your back end, we've got your stack handled.
Frequently placed for Product Scoping
React DevelopersFrontend expertise on demand
Next.js DevelopersServer-rendered React engineers
TypeScript DevelopersTyped safety meets modern JavaScript
Node.js DevelopersBack-end specialists that ship fast
Python DevelopersBackend, data, and automation specialists
Flutter DevelopersOne codebase, two platforms
Angular DevelopersScalable Angular expertise, embedded
AWS DevelopersCloud-native engineers on demand
Vetting
You see two people - not 200 CVs.
Engineers vet engineers
A senior engineer runs a live technical conversation on the candidate's real stack, not a recruiter working from a keyword list.
Live coding, not take-homes
Real problems solved in front of an assessor, with anti-cheating checks. You see how they actually work, not what they submitted overnight.
A full profile, not a CV
Every candidate arrives with a resume, interview summary, coding-test breakdown and rate. You decide on evidence.
Every tab is a stage a candidate has to clear. Six of them, all run by our own internal engineers at Cloud Employee, before you see a name.
- Overview
- CV
- Tech interview
- Coding test
- Psychometric
- Soft skills
Scored by people. We use AI to cross-check our own consistency - never to decide who reaches your shortlist.
✓Luka M.
VettedSenior Software Engineer · TypeScript · Python · Cloud · 6 yrs · Zagreb, Croatia (GMT+1)
Assessment
Six years in production Python, the last three on LLM systems - retrieval pipelines, eval suites, and agent tooling for UK fintech. Owns delivery end to end.
Stack
Python · LangGraph
English
C1 fluent
Overlap
8 hrs UK
Notice
2 weeks
AI in practiceShips with Copilot and Claude Code daily, and rewrote 40% of the generated code in his observed task - the judgement is his, the tooling only makes him faster.
Career history
2023 - now
Senior AI Engineer
UK payments platform · 40-person product team
Built the retrieval assistant now resolving 30% of tier-1 tickets; owns its eval suite and guardrails.
2020 - 2023
Backend Engineer, Python
Travel booking SaaS · Zagreb
Moved fraud scoring onto a real-time feature pipeline; cut false declines by 18%.
2019 - 2020
Data Engineer
Agency · Python, Postgres, AWS
- Python
- FastAPI
- LangGraph
- pgvector
- Evals & tracing
- AWS
- Docker
Technical interview
Assessed by Marco R., Principal Engineer
12 Jun 2026
55 min · live call
"Walked me through an assistant that was quietly hallucinating refund policy, how he caught it in evals, and what he got wrong on the first fix. Hire-ready for a senior seat."
Live coding test
Repair a leaking retrieval pipeline
88
score
Tests passed
21 / 21
Time used
62 of 90 min
Anti-cheat flags
0
retrieval.py · submitted diff
- hits = index.query(q, k=50)+ hits = index.query(rewrite(q), k=50, filter=tenant)+ hits = rerank(hits, q)[:8] # recall 0.62 -> 0.91+ assert_context_budget(hits, max_tokens=6000)
Psychometric · technical thinking
How he reasons under a real deadline - not a personality quiz.
Top 9%of engineers
we test
A 45-minute reasoning test, scored against the 4,000+ engineers we have already placed. Our assessors do the marking - AI only flags where our own scoring looks inconsistent.
Soft skills · working with your team
Spoken English
C1 · assessed on call
References
2 of 2 verified
"He raised the payment edge case nobody else had spotted, in writing, two days before release."
This is what you receive - not a CV.
Why Cloud Employee?
Product-first thinking, with long-term support
We don’t just hand you a plan - we stay ready to build it. Unlike agencies that disappear after discovery, we can take your scoped plan and deliver the MVP, manage ongoing builds, or scale your team post-launch.
- Built by delivery experts - not just consultants
- No stack agenda - we recommend what’s best for you
- Ready to build it - when you're ready
Not Just Developers - A Whole Operation
Our talent, technical and success teams support delivery from day one.
Fully supported
We handle the rest so your engineers can focus on building.
Performance reviews
Payroll & complianceEquipment
WorkspaceIn-house, without the friction
No upfront fees. No lock-in contracts.
- No placement or upfront fees
- Rolling 30-day contract, cancel anytime
- One monthly rate, everything included
Ready to find your engineer?
Tell us exactly who you need.
In 90 seconds
Two matched engineers in 7 days. No fees, no obligation.
What role are you hiring for?
Pick one to start - you'll see matching engineers at the end.
- Founded in 2014
- 97% stay 2+ years
- Replace if it isn't working
Got questions?
The questions CTOs and founders ask.
Can't find your question?
Ask our AI chatbot, trained on every sales call we've had.
01How do you manage time zone differences?
We align our working hours with your time zone, and ensure overlap for real-time collaboration. We also have team members available for critical support outside standard hours.
02How is Cloud Employee different from a recruitment company?
Entirely different. We take no placement fees, and you pay nothing to interview candidates; you only pay if you hire. Vetting is technical and led by our in-house CTO, with peer reviews from our senior engineers to avoid mishires.
And we do not stop after recruitment. We work with you month on month as a partner, you have a dedicated account manager and CTO behind you, and if a developer does not work out we find a replacement with no re-hire fee. We are invested in the long term, and we act like it.
03Is there a minimum number of employees I need to hire?
No - you can hire just one employee and receive the same excellent level of service.
04What if a developer doesn't perform as expected?
You feed this back to your dedicated account manager, who will then work with you to find solutions. We have a robust HR team physically on-the-ground in our Philippines and Latin America offices, who work with our learning and development. Sometimes peer training with our other developers, or a conversation with our CTO, quickly improves any issues. If not, we find you a new hire, free of charge.
05Do I communicate directly with the developer working with me?
Yes absolutely. Developers plug directly into your day-to-day communication channels - company email, Slack channels, Discord, etc. Your developer is fully integrated into your team, even down to updating their LinkedIn with your company as their employer if you would prefer.
In fact, if you hire more than 4 developers, we will also contribute $3,000 toward a trip for your developer to visit you, or for you to visit our beautiful offices in Manila and/or Latin America to meet and work with your developers in person once per year.
06How quickly can you scale my team if needed?
We recently scaled a full technical team of 28 developers and technical experts for one client in a single month. If you provide us all of the information we need, we can move very quickly.
07What level of project management support do you provide?
We can hire project managers specifically for your project. We also advise you on the level of seniority and team mix required for your project and wider company needs, ensuring you have the right people to self-manage.
08What does your discovery call process entail?
Expect to talk through your needs and for us to offer you support and advice. From there, if we're a good fit, we set you up with a call with our CTO and your account manager to provide feedback and/or develop job descriptions alongside you.
09How is Cloud Employee different from a freelancer platform?
Entirely. Forget one-off jobs, security risks and project to project work. Read more here.
10Can I visit your offices and meet my Cloud Employee/s?
We encourage clients to visit our offices to meet and spend time working with their Cloud Employee team. We've made sure that our offices are well-equipped and always welcoming to our clients.
In fact, if you hire 4 or more Cloud Employees, we will cover your flights and accommodation to visit our offices and work with your team. This is up to $3,000 worth of value.
11What do I get at the end of a product build?
You'll receive a launch-ready product, fully tested, deployed, and handed over with clean documentation, source code, and a clear path for scaling or ongoing support.
12Can I bring my own designs or do you handle design too?
Both work. Bring your own designs, or let our in-house designers handle UX and UI as part of the build.
13What if I already have some code or a prototype?
We can audit your existing work and build on top of it, or help you start fresh if it's faster, safer, or more scalable.
14Do I need to manage the developers during the build?
Nope. We handle day-to-day project management, progress tracking, and delivery, you just stay in the loop and make key decisions.
15How long does it typically take to build a product?
That depends on the scope. We'll define timelines during the scoping phase and keep delivery lean and milestone-driven.
16What happens after the product is launched?
We can support post-launch updates, bug fixes, and new features, or help you build your own embedded team to take it forward.
17Can you build across web, mobile, and backend?
Yes. We deliver full-stack products, front end, back end, mobile apps, and APIs, designed to work together from day one.
18Will the codebase be handed over to me?
Yes. It's your IP. You'll receive full access to the codebase, repos, and all project documentation.
19Do you offer fixed-price product builds?
We offer both fixed-price and flexible engagement models, depending on the scope, complexity, and timeline.
20Can I add more features or change scope mid-build?
We scope tightly up front but remain flexible. If priorities shift, we can adjust your roadmap or re-scope milestones without derailing delivery.
21What kind of consulting do you provide?
We offer strategic product and technical consulting, scoping features, planning roadmaps, validating AI use cases, and advising on build decisions.
22How is this different from working with a dev agency?
This isn't just discovery fluff. Our consultants are CTOs, engineers and PMs who know how to ship. You'll leave with actionable output, not just slides.
23Do I need to know exactly what I want to build?
Not at all. We'll help shape your ideas into something buildable, whether it's an MVP, a prototype, or a feature release plan.
24Can you help me choose between different tech options?
Yes. We recommend tech based on your product needs, not on what we happen to know. Stack-agnostic, outcome-first guidance.
25Do I need to commit to a build after consulting?
No. Our scoping and consulting services are standalone. You can take the plan elsewhere, or build with us when you're ready.
26How technical do I need to be to benefit from consulting?
Not at all. We work with both technical founders and non-technical leaders. We translate ideas into build-ready outcomes, no jargon required.
27Can you help scope an MVP?
Absolutely. We'll help define the leanest version of your product that delivers real user value, fast and buildable.
28Do you offer AI-specific consulting?
Yes. We help teams assess AI feasibility, recommend models, and shape realistic delivery plans, without the buzzword noise.
29Can I book just a single session to get advice?
Yes. You can start with a focused engagement to explore ideas or validate direction. No long-term commitment required.
Proof, not promises
Hear from our customers
In their words
What the difference feels like
Alison WhittleProduct Delivery Manager, BladeFSWhat I love about Cloud Employee is that you have taken all of that hard work off my shoulders.
Marcus KilgourCTO, Salmon SoftwareWorking with Cloud Employee developers is great, because they're not afraid to push back. They're proactive, they're positive, and they feel like part of the team.
Doran EskinaziHead of Engineering, HealthpointeWe actually hired the whole team remotely, having never met them. And we made a bunch of really good hires.
Euan CameronCEO, WilloCloud Employee provides a level of professionalism, communication and support we haven't found elsewhere.
Trevor SathorManaging Director, Square EyeWorking in tandem with Cloud Employee we have successfully released a major version of our main software product during a critical period for us.
James StringerManaging Director, CleanLink