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02 / Discipline - Specialist Search

Software Engineering

Backend, frontend and full-stack engineers - and the staff and principal engineers who set the technical bar.

What We Place

The roles we run, by level.

  • Senior Backend & Full-Stack Engineers
  • Staff & Principal Engineers
  • Engineering Managers & Tech Leads
  • Founding Engineers for early-stage scaleups
  • Specialist hires: payments, real-time systems, distributed
  • Stack: Go, Python, TypeScript, Rust, React, Elixir

Where The Talent Sits

The pools we actually source from.

  • Late-stage scale-ups across Sydney and Melbourne
  • Founding-engineer alumni from successful exits
  • Big-tech ANZ practices (Atlassian, Canva, AWS, Google)
  • Cross-border senior engineers returning from US/UK roles
  • Specialist communities: payments, BNPL, regulated platforms

Geographies

Sydney and Melbourne primary. Remote-Australia common at senior. Brisbane, Perth and offshore considered for specialist roles.

Comp Bands (2026)

Senior IC: $190k - $300k base. Staff/Principal: $260k - $420k base. Engineering Managers: $230k - $380k base + bonus + equity.

Median Brief - Signed

21 days. 90% of mandates filled in ≤3 CVs.

How We Run The Search

Four steps. Twenty-one days.

01

Brief

90 minute working session. Scorecard signed off before any outreach.

02

Search

Direct outreach across APAC, EMEA and US. 200-400 named engineers per mandate.

03

Shortlist

3-5 calibrated candidates, each with a one-page technical memo.

04

Close

Pre-closed comp, counter-offer coaching, replacement guarantee.

Recent Software Searches

Indicative of where we run.

Indicative samples drawn from recent and active mandates. Specific clients available under NDA on request.

Further reading

Related insights.

Market Signals

Where Staff Engineers Are Actually Located in 2026

Market Signals

SEEK vs LinkedIn Job Volume Trends in Engineering

Founder Notes

The Shift from Growth-at-All-Costs to Efficient Teams

Common questions

Frequently asked.

What software engineering roles does Re:Sourced specialise in?

Backend, frontend, full-stack, mobile, and platform engineers from senior individual contributor through staff, principal and VP Engineering. We cover Python, Go, TypeScript, Rust, Kotlin/Swift mobile, and most modern stacks.

What salary bands should I expect for senior and staff engineers in Australia?

Senior software engineer bands sit at AUD 160-190k base in Sydney for 2026, base only, 25th-75th percentile of accepted offers. Principal engineers reach AUD 190-220k and tech leads AUD 190-210k. Melbourne runs roughly 5 per cent lower.

How long does a senior software search typically take?

21 days median from brief to signed offer. Calibrated shortlists land within 72 hours of an intake call. Replacement guarantee runs 90 days from start date.

Do you place engineering managers and tech leads?

Yes. Engineering manager, senior engineering manager, head of engineering, director and VP Engineering searches make up roughly a third of our software bookings.

How do you handle remote-first vs onsite preferences?

We calibrate against the role brief at intake. Most senior software talent expects hybrid; full-remote is increasingly negotiated as part of compensation rather than as a default.

What stacks do you have the deepest candidate networks in?

Python, TypeScript/Node, Go, Java/Kotlin and React are our deepest pools. We also run regular searches in Rust, Elixir and mobile (Swift, Kotlin). If your stack is niche, the intake call calibrates pool depth before we commit to a timeline.

What makes a brief fail to attract senior engineers?

Three patterns: compensation pegged below the 50th percentile of the band, interview loops longer than three stages, and specs that read as a technology inventory rather than a problem worth solving. We flag all three at intake.

Do you run contingent or retained searches?

Both. Most senior IC searches run contingent with no fee until placement. Executive and confidential searches run retained. Either way, every permanent placement carries the 90-day replacement guarantee.

Can you help calibrate our engineering levels before we hire?

Yes. We regularly map client levels against market norms (senior versus staff versus principal) so the brief prices correctly. Mis-levelled briefs are the single most common reason searches stall.

Submit a brief

Run a structured Software search.

30 minute working session. No fee until placement. Replacement inside 90 days.

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