So You Want to Hire Engineering Force Multipliers?

Learn how to successfully hire and onboard engineering force multipliers for platform engineering, internal developer tooling, and developer experience roles in this conference talk from LDX3 London 2025. Discover strategies for identifying and recruiting systems thinkers who can create exponential leverage and improve developer productivity across your organization. Explore the unique challenges of hiring for these notoriously difficult-to-fill positions that often lead to burnout and failure. Gain insights into building effective hiring pipelines and interview processes that attract the right candidates without deterring them. Master the timing and political considerations necessary to justify cost-center engineering headcount within your organization. Understand how to rapidly onboard new hires in roles requiring deep organizational context, moving from negative to zero quickly. Learn to set appropriate expectations and avoid common mismatches that lead to role failure. Drawing from real-world experience building high-performing "cost-center" organizations and creating healthy outlier teams that redefine excellence standards, this presentation provides practical guidance for engineering leaders looking to scale their impact through strategic hiring of force multiplier talent.