Remote Staffing for Rapidly-Growing Digital Agency
An emerging full-service agency known for advertising, branding, and creative production sought to deepen its technical skills. By joining forces through a shared client, we formed a partnership that boosted their offerings and drove meaningful outcomes.
A fast-growing full-service agency specializing in advertising, brand strategy, production, design, and performance marketing aimed to enhance its technical expertise. Recognizing the potential for a strong collaboration, a mutual client connected us, leading to a strategic partnership that expanded the agency’s capabilities and delivered impactful results.
CHALLENGES
Needed to transition from a small in-house development team to a scalable model.
Required support for both new client buildouts and ongoing maintenance of existing client websites.
Sought a solution that could scale with their growing pipeline while maintaining quality and speed.
OUR SOLUTIONS
Provided a dedicated team of skilled developers to augment their in-house capabilities.
Implemented an agile staffing model, starting very small and then scaling team size based on pipeline growth.
Established streamlined workflows to ensure seamless collaboration between in-house and external teams.
Introduced best practices for development, quality assurance, and deployment to enhance efficiency.
OUR COOPERATION
The initial team included a WordPress developer, a part-time Webflow developer, and a part-time project manager. As the agency’s workload has increased over the years, we’ve seamlessly scaled the team to match demand. We continue to meet with client stakeholders biweekly and onboard additional members as their project pipeline continues to grow.
KICK-OFF MEETINGS
Our initial conversations were on-site with the client and centered around understanding their technology stack and long-term goals. We recommended transitioning from Webflow to WordPress—a more scalable and secure platform better suited to the complexity of their client projects. We proposed a small dedicated web development team tailored to their immediate and near-term needs.
TEAM EXPANSION
In 2022, the team began with a part-time PM, a WebFlow/UX developer, and a WordPress developer. As of Summer 2025, we have 4 full-time WordPress engineers and a PM. Together, they support all web development, deployment, and client hosting for the constantly growing agency.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Upon each expansion, we evaluate candidates through several steps. Here’s how we identify ideal team members:
01/ Culture & Language Screening
- Ensured strong English communication skills
- Explored candidate fit with both Happen and the client’s company culture
02/ Technical Interview
- In-depth, 90-minute session led by a tech lead in a similar tech stack
- Follow-up to assess coachability, critical thinking, and openness to feedback
03/ Meet the Leadership
- Facilitated by Happen founders
- Assessed team dynamics, pressure handling, and alignment with company values
OUTCOME
The agency consistently reports positive feedback from both its internal stakeholders and end clients. With the dedicated team in place, they’ve been able to deliver projects faster, take on larger engagements, and enhance their already high standard of client service. Our scalable staffing solution has provided the flexibility they needed to grow without operational bottlenecks.
Hours Saved
Cultural Screenings
Technical Interviews
Wanna work with us?
FAQs
Why would an agency choose a full dedicated team rather than outsourcing individual projects?
Project-based outsourcing seems flexible—but it often limits collaboration. Every decision gets filtered through budgets, scopes, and approvals, which slows things down and discourages doing things the "right" way. With a dedicated team, you're not negotiating every tweak—you’re building momentum. Your devs think like part of your agency, help you make smarter technical calls, and move faster. Plus, their effective hourly rate is typically lower than freelancers or dev shops. It's more control, better work, and stronger margins.
How long does it take to place a top-tier software developer?
Our average placement time for a developer for a long-term contract (6+ MO) is three weeks.
Do I have to replace my in-house devs, or can Happen support my existing team?
We’ve seen great success with both scenarios. We can add 2-3 devs/designers to your current team or we can BE your team. It’s up to you.
