1000+
Successful placements since 2007
70%
Of business is based on client referrals and word of mouth
18 Years
Experience in IT recruitment and headhunting in Bulgaria
97%
Our retention rate is probably the lowest in the industry
You’re Stuck Between Impossible HQ Demands and Bulgarian Market Reality
Your Stockholm (Berlin/London/Paris) headquarters expects you to fill 8-12 open positions this quarter.
Scale the team by 40%. Maintain code quality. Stay under budget.
Meanwhile, you’re dealing with:
Unqualified CVs to your engineering team, which results in wasted interview time for your team.
- Losing top mobile developers to Intellias and Anthill because they move faster.
The failure of internal HR teams to identify the difference between a mid-level React developer and a senior full-stack engineer.
- 45-day hiring processes create challenges for achieving quarterly KPIs performance targets.
And every day you miss those targets, your credibility with HQ takes a hit— along with your bonus.
How Scandinavian & Western European Tech Leaders Are Hiring in Bulgaria Now
We don’t just recruit—we share the market intelligence that helps you
make better decisions and justify your hiring strategy to HQ.
The Old Way (What’s Not Working)
Posting on LinkedIn, waiting 45+ days for qualified applicants
Generic agencies sending CVs of developers who’ve never touched your tech stack
Losing candidates to competitors who offer 20% more or move faster
- Internal HR lacks technical expertise to properly screen and “sell” them on your vision
Missing quarterly hiring KPIs, affecting bonus and HQ credibility
The NextJob Way (What Our Clients Do)
Access pre-vetted database of 12,596+ Bulgarian developers—interview-ready within 48 hours
Technical screening by recruiters who understand iOS, Android, Java, .NET, and cloud architectures—no explanation needed
5-7 business day turnaround from brief to shortlist—you move faster than Intellias
Partner who speaks both “Scandinavian HQ expectations” and “Bulgarian market realities”
Hit your targets with 30-day replacement guarantee—quality or free replacement
Now You Can Scale Fast AND Smart
—Without Sacrificing Quality
Interview senior mobile developers within 48 hours
Our curated network of iOS, Android, and cross-platform specialists means you skip the 6-week sourcing grind. We’ve already done the technical screening—you focus on cultural fit and team dynamics.
Reduce time-to-hire from 45 to 14 days
From candidate brief to signed offer in 2 weeks, not 2 months. Your quarterly hiring targets suddenly become achievable instead of pipe dreams your team jokes about.
Get market intelligence that impresses HQ
Updated salary benchmarks, mobile developer availability reports, and competitor hiring strategies. Now you can answer Stockholm’s questions about Bulgarian market ROI with data, not guesses.
Build a sustainable talent pipeline
Stop scrambling every time HQ adds headcount. We maintain a live database of pre-vetted candidates actively seeking opportunities—so you’re always 48 hours away from your next great hire.
Prove Bulgaria was the right choice
When you consistently deliver quality hires on time and under budget, you become the success story HQ points to when they’re considering expanding to Prague, Bucharest, or Krakow.
Complement your internal team, not replace them
Your HR handles employer branding, candidate experience, and onboarding. We handle sourcing, technical screening, and candidate pipeline—the parts they struggle with. You get the best of both worlds.
How It Works
Our 4-Phase Vetting Process: From Brief to Interview-Ready Candidates
Step 1: Discovery Call
The team receives complete instructions which explain what constitutes good performance
In a 15-20 minute conversation, we dig into the details you need to get right:
- Your tech stack and specific framework requirements (not just “React developer”)
- Team dynamics and communication style (autonomous vs. collaborative)
- What went wrong with previous hires (so we don’t repeat mistakes)
- Your real timeline pressure (is this a “nice to have” or “Q4 target at risk“?)
What you get: A clear brief we both agree on—no surprises later when candidates don’t match expectations.
Step 2: Candidate Sourcing
We access our database of 12,692+ Bulgarian developers and find your matches
While you focus on your roadmap, we:
- Search our pre-vetted network of iOS, Android, Java, .NET, and full-stack developers
- The process includes their abilities to solve algorithms and dwork with your chosen frameworks.
- The evaluation of English fluency demands candidates to show their spoken communication abilities, not just reading proficiency.
- Verify all references and confirm that employment records accurately reflect the employee’s actual work experience.
- Assess cultural fit based on your team’s work style.
What you avoid: You need to spend more than 20 hours reviewing candidates who do not match the requirements.
Step 3: Shortlist Delivery
You receive 3-5 interview-ready candidates with full transparency.
Each candidate profile includes:
- Technical assessment results with specific skill ratings
- Current salary, notice period, and expectations
- Why they’re exploring new opportunities (so you know their motivation)
- Our honest assessment of strengths and potential concerns (why we sent this specific candidate)
What you get: Our bar serves as a filter because your engineering team conducts 3-5 candidate interviews instead of screening 20 candidates.
Step 4: Interview Support & Offer Negotiation
We handle the logistics so you focus on the conversation.
From first interview to signed contract, we:
- Coordinate scheduling across your time zones
- The process demands that you provide feedback to candidates at every stage of their interview process.
- Guide salary negotiations based on current Bulgarian market data
- Manage counteroffers and notice period logistics
- Stay involved through their first 30 days (our replacement guarantee period)
What you achieve: Average 14-day time-to-hire from brief to signed offer. Your quarterly KPIs transform from unattainable targets into particular goals which you can reach.
Testimonials
What growth-focused tech leaders say about Next Recruitment
“Communicating with Radka has always been easy and friendly. She has helped us find a good number of quality employees during the last 10 years. The fact that we have worked with her for the last 10 years speaks for itself. Very professional and highly skilled HR specialist”
Daniel Mueller
Engineering Director, Endavo Media, Germany
https://www.endavomedia.com/ (Click to visit site)
Placed
21
Timeline
10 yrs
Retention
100%
“I have always found the service provided by Next Recruitment to be responsive and professional to both clients and their candidates. They are cost-effective and do not waste valuable time. I have no hesitation in recommending their service to other businesses and candidates.”
Placed
89
Timeline
12 yrs
Retention
97%
“WOW – I don’t really know what else to say. I run a full time web development company and this company blows me away. I wanted to thank you for all your hard work. We’re really looking forward to getting our new developers! I think you thought of everything and then some.”
Placed
7
Timeline
1 yr
Retention
100%
Trusted by 200+ international tech companies scaling in Europe.
Why European Tech Leaders Choose NextJob Over Competitors
Our outsourcing solutions let you access Bulgaria’s successful tech
industry to drive business expansion and technological progress.
You Speak Scandinavian (and German, French, British) Business Language
Direct communication. Transparent timelines. Data over promises. No sales pitches, just realistic delivery. We understand what Western European HQs expect because 60% of our clients are Scandinavian, German, French, and UK companies expanding in Bulgaria. When you say “I need this by the end of Q4,” we don’t overpromise—we tell you exactly what’s realistic and deliver it.
We Move Faster Than Your Competitors
While Intellias and Anthill take 10 days to send a shortlist, we deliver in 5-7 business days. In Bulgaria’s competitive talent market, speed wins. Every day delayed is another candidate accepting an offer from your competitor. We’ve lost enough good developers to 2-week delays—never again.
Tech-Only Focus = Better Quality Matches
Mobile developers (iOS/Android), Java leads, .NET engineers, React/Angular/Node.js specialists, DevOps, AI/ML—we recruit exclusively for tech roles. No distractions from sales, marketing, or admin positions. Our recruiters speak your language: APIs, microservices, CI/CD pipelines, and database optimization. You won’t need to explain technical requirements twice.
30-Day Replacement Guarantee
If a candidate doesn’t work out in the first month—whether it’s performance issues, cultural misfit, or they leave unexpectedly—we provide a free replacement. You pay once, get the right person. We’ve maintained a 94% placement success rate over 15 years because our technical screening is rigorous upfront. But when rare issues occur, we fix them fast.
Market Intelligence That Impresses HQ
Monthly reports on Bulgarian developer salaries by role and seniority, availability trends for iOS/Android/Java developers, and competitor hiring activities (who’s hiring, how much they’re paying, and where they’re finding candidates). When Stockholm asks “Why is hiring taking so long?” you’ll have data-backed answers, not excuses.
We Complement Your Team, Not Replace Them
Your internal recruiters handle employer branding, candidate experience, and onboarding. We handle the hard parts: technical screening, market access, and reaching passive candidates who don’t respond to LinkedIn posts. Think of us as your specialized sourcing arm. Your team stays focused on what they do best—we fill the gaps they struggle with.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from tech leaders like you
You’re not replacing your HR team—you’re complementing them. Your internal recruiters handle employer branding, candidate experience, and onboarding. We handle the parts they struggle with: technical screening, market intelligence, and accessing passive candidates who aren’t responding to LinkedIn posts.
Think of us as your specialized sourcing arm for technical roles. We’ve built relationships with 12,000+ Bulgarian developers over 18 years—connections your internal team would take years to develop.
Real example: One of our German clients has a 3-person internal HR team in Sofia. They handle everything post-shortlist (interviews, offers, onboarding, first-day experience). We handle everything pre-shortlist (sourcing, technical screening, candidate pipeline). Result: They hired 15 developers in Q2 2024 vs. 6 in Q1 when they were doing everything alone. Your team stays focused on what they do best—we fill the gaps.
What “doesn’t work out” means:
- Fails probation period due to technical performance below expectations
- Cultural fit issues that impact team dynamics or collaboration
- Candidate leaves within first 30 days for any reason (better offer, personal reasons, relocation)
What’s NOT covered:
- Company restructuring, layoffs, or budget cuts
- Changes to role requirements after hiring (e.g., switching from mobile to backend)
- Issues arising after the 30-day period
We’ve had a 97% placement success rate over 18 years because our technical screening is rigorous upfront. We reject 80% of candidates before they ever reach your shortlist. But when rare issues occur, we fix them fast—usually within 5-7 days with a replacement candidate.
One caveat: This only works if you’re transparent with us about why it didn’t work. If you ghost us or avoid feedback, we can’t fix the problem. Partnership means honest communication both ways.
5-7 business days from detailed brief to shortlist of 3-5 candidates. 48 hours for urgent roles if we have matching candidates already in our database.
Our track record (verifiable):
- Average time-to-shortlist: 6 days
- Average time-to-hire (brief to signed offer): 14 days
- Fastest placement on record: 3 days (urgent Android lead for Swedish fintech)
- 92% of shortlists delivered within promised timeline
We track this religiously because we know it’s your #1 KPI. Every Monday morning, we review all open roles and timelines to ensure we’re delivering on speed promises. If we’re going to be late, you’ll know 48 hours in advance—not the day the shortlist was due.
What slows us down (so you can avoid it):
- Vague requirements (“We need a good developer”)
- Unrealistic salary expectations (offering mid-level salary for senior talent)
- Slow feedback loops (if you take 10 days to review profiles, we can’t deliver in 14)
Fast delivery requires partnership. You bring clear requirements and quick decision-making—we bring pre-vetted candidates and market expertise.
Fair question. Let’s do the math honestly:
Your internal recruiter in Sofia costs:
- Base salary: €35,000/year
- Benefits, taxes, office costs: ~€42,000 fully loaded
- Realistic capacity: 25-30 hires annually (if they’re good)
- Cost per hire: €1,400-€1,680
But here’s what that doesn’t include:
- Technical screening capability (your HR doesn’t know the difference between React and Angular)
- 15 years of market relationships (your recruiter is starting from zero)
- Passive candidate access (your internal recruiter is limited to active job-seekers on LinkedIn)
- Time-to-hire: 45 days average (vs. our 14 days)
Our fee per placement:
- Competitive with internal costs (exact pricing discussed in strategy call)
- Delivered in 14 days instead of 45 days
- Technical screening by people who understand your stack
- Market intelligence and ongoing candidate pipeline access
You’re not paying for recruitment—you’re paying for:
- Speed: Hit quarterly targets instead of missing them (and losing your bonus)
- Quality: Technical screening reduces bad hires by 70%
- Risk mitigation: 30-day replacement guarantee
- Market access: 2,000+ developer network built over 15 years
ROI calculation: One of our UK clients calculated that reducing time-to-hire from 45 to 14 days saved them £80,000 in lost engineering productivity per developer (31 days × £2,500/day average cost of unfilled role). Their 10 hires saved £800,000 in opportunity cost—our fees were 15% of that savings.
The real question isn’t “Can we afford NextJob?”—it’s “Can we afford to keep missing quarterly hiring targets?”
Perfect. That’s exactly how 80% of our Scandinavian clients started. Nobody wants to commit to a 12-month agreement before seeing results.
Here’s how testing works:
Step 1: Book a 15-minute strategy call
Step 2: Share requirements for 1-2 of your most urgent roles
Step 3: We deliver shortlist in 5-7 days
Step 4: You interview candidates and make hiring decision
Step 5: If experience is smooth and quality is high, we discuss longer partnership
No pressure. No multi-position commitments upfront. No contracts until you’re confident.
What happens after successful trial:
- Many clients convert to retained partnerships (3-6 month agreements covering multiple roles)
- We prioritize your future roles in our candidate pipeline
- You get first access to new candidates entering our network
- We become your “go-to” for all technical hiring in Bulgaria
Fair warning: We typically only take 2-3 “trial” clients per month to ensure quality service. If you want to test us in Q4 2024 (peak hiring season), book a call soon—our calendar fills up 2-3 weeks in advance during busy periods.
[Book Your Trial Strategy Call]No—mobile developers are just one of our specializations. We recruit across the full tech stack that Bulgarian developers excel in:
Frontend: React, Angular, Vue.js, TypeScript
Backend: Java, .NET, Node.js, Python, Go, PHP
Mobile: iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), Flutter, React Native
DevOps & Cloud: AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, CI/CD
Data & AI: Data Engineers, ML Engineers, Data Scientists, Analytics
Security: Cybersecurity specialists, Penetration testers, Security architects
Leadership: Engineering Managers, Tech Leads, VPs of Engineering, CTOs
We do NOT recruit for: Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Finance, Admin, HR roles. Tech only. That’s our niche, and we’re ruthlessly focused on being excellent at it.
Why tech-only focus matters: Our recruiters understand technical requirements without translation. When you say “We need a senior Java developer with Spring Boot, Kafka, and microservices experience,” we don’t need to Google those terms. We’ve placed 50+ Java developers in the last 24 months alone.
We’re biased, but let’s be honest about the facts:
🕐 Time Zone Advantage
Bulgaria operates in EET (GMT+2), which overlaps perfectly with CET business hours. Your Sofia team has 6-8 hour overlap with Stockholm, Berlin, London, and Paris for daily standups and collaboration.
💰 Cost Competitiveness
Bulgarian developer salaries are 20-30% lower than Poland and 10-15% lower than Romania for equivalent seniority and skills. A senior React developer in Sofia costs €45-55K vs. €65-75K in Warsaw.
🎓 Technical Education Quality
Sofia University, Technical University of Sofia, and Plovdiv University produce 5,000+ computer science graduates annually. Strong foundations in algorithms, data structures, and system design.
🗣️ English Fluency
65% of Bulgarian developers speak fluent business English (vs. 45% in Poland, 50% in Romania). Most learned English from childhood through Western media, not just classroom lessons.
🏢 Western Work Culture
Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, and developers have been working with Western companies for 15+ years. They understand agile methodologies, code review culture, and direct communication styles.
But let’s be honest about the competition:
Poland has a larger talent pool (300,000+ developers vs. Bulgaria’s 50,000+). If you need to hire 100+ developers quickly, Poland might be better.
Romania is growing fast, especially in Cluj and Bucharest. Their developer community is young and ambitious, though slightly more expensive than Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s advantage is the combination of cost, quality, time zone, and work culture—it’s the “sweet spot” for Scandinavian and Western European companies who want nearshore quality without Western prices.
Pro tip from 15 years of experience: Many of our clients have teams in multiple CEE countries. They use Bulgaria for cost-sensitive projects and maintainable long-term teams. They use Poland for massive scaling when they need 50+ hires in 6 months. We can advise on the right mix for your specific situation.
We guide the entire offer process, but YOU make the final decisions. Here’s the step-by-step:
Step 1: Salary Expectations (We provide upfront)
During candidate profiling, we confirm their expected salary range and must-have benefits. We include this in shortlist profiles so there are no surprises during offer stage.
Step 2: Offer Strategy (We advise based on market data)
Based on 280+ placements and current market trends, we recommend competitive offer ranges. We flag if a candidate has multiple offers or is expecting counteroffers from their current employer.
Step 3: Offer Presentation (You decide, we facilitate)
You decide the final offer amount, benefits, start date, and any special terms. We present it to the candidate professionally and handle their initial questions about role details, team structure, or benefits.
Step 4: Negotiation (We mediate if needed)
If the candidate counters (e.g., asking for €3K more, remote flexibility, or extra vacation days), we facilitate discussions to find middle ground. We’ve negotiated 500+ offers—we know what’s reasonable vs. unrealistic.
Step 5: Acceptance & Onboarding Support (We stay involved)
Once accepted, we stay engaged through their notice period (typically 30-60 days in Bulgaria). We check in during their first 30 days to ensure smooth onboarding and catch any early issues.
You always control the numbers. We just make the process smooth and professional.
Red flags we’ll warn you about:
- Candidate asking for 30-40% above market rate (they’re testing you)
- Candidate countering multiple times (potential future flight risk)
- Candidate avoiding direct questions about why they’re leaving current role
Our job is to get you the right person at fair market value—not to lowball candidates or waste your time on impossible negotiations.
Just 3 things to deliver your first shortlist in 5-7 days:
- Role Requirements (15-minute conversation covers this):
- Tech stack and tools they’ll be using (React, Java, AWS, etc.)
- Seniority level (Junior, Mid, Senior, Lead)
- Team structure and who they’ll be reporting to
- Key responsibilities and projects they’ll work on
- Any specific experience requirements (e.g., “must have fintech experience” or “startup mindset required”)
- Timeline & Budget:
- When do you need them to start? (helps us prioritize active vs. passive candidates)
- Salary range you’re offering (we’ll tell you honestly if it’s competitive or needs adjustment)
- Any budget constraints or approval processes we should know about
- Cultural Fit Priorities:
- Work style preferences (autonomous self-starters vs. collaborative team players)
- Communication style (direct Scandinavian style vs. diplomatic approach)
- Any deal-breakers or must-haves (e.g., “must have startup experience” or “cannot work with fully remote setup”)
That’s it. We handle everything else—sourcing, screening, profiling, scheduling, negotiation support.
Most clients provide this information in a single 15-minute call, and we deliver the first shortlist 5-7 days later. No lengthy forms, no bureaucratic intake process, no 10-page requirements docs.
[Book Your 15-Min Brief Call] ← Start hereReady to Fill Your Roles?
Talk to Radka – She’s Placed 1000+ Developers in 18 Years
No pressure, no sales pitch. Just a 30-minute conversation about your hiring needs.
What we’ll discuss:
Your current open positions and urgency level
Technical requirements and culture fit priorities
Bulgarian market reality vs your budget expectations
Whether we have pre-vetted candidates ready now
No pressure, no sales pitch.