Senior data, cloud and AI engineers

Dedicated Development Team That Thinks Like Yours

A DS Stream dedicated development team is a group of vetted senior engineers who join your product work, keep your time zone and follow your priorities. DS Stream handles recruitment, payroll, retention and backfills. You get first code in about three weeks and can adjust team size every month.

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Key takeaways

DS Stream dedicated teams go from signed agreement to first code contribution in about three weeks. Hiring the same roles locally takes 12 to 20 weeks.
Compared with hiring equivalent full-time employees locally, a DS Stream dedicated team reduces total engineering cost by 40%.
Developers assigned to DS Stream dedicated team engagements have 15+ years of engineering experience on average.
If a developer leaves, DS Stream backfills the role within two weeks at no extra cost to the client.
Team size changes month to month with 30 days notice. There is no lock-in period and no severance.
Before a longer commitment, two developers can join your existing sprint for a two-week trial.

What is dedicated team delivery?

Dedicated team delivery means DS Stream assigns vetted engineers who work only on your product, in your core business hours, under your direction. DS Stream stays the employer. It handles vetting, payroll, sick days, replacements and retention. You set priorities, review the work and decide when the team grows or shrinks.

Four commitments define the model:

Vetted before they start: every developer passes technical interviews and a culture fit call. We test for real project experience, not only theory.
Works in your time zone: working hours are aligned to your core business hours, so standups, code reviews and decisions happen in real time.
Retained by DS Stream: we keep the team stable and backfill any departure within two weeks.
Scales up and down: add two developers or ten, then reduce when a phase finishes. The contract adjusts monthly with no penalties.

Why hire a dedicated team instead of hiring locally?

Local hiring is slow, fixed and fragile. Posting a role, screening candidates and closing an offer takes three to six months on average. Each new employee adds permanent cost, and one resignation can stall a project for weeks. A dedicated team starts faster, flexes monthly and is backed by a replacement guarantee.

The four problems a dedicated team removes:

Long hiring cycles: three to six months on average to fill one role.
Fixed headcount cost: salaries, benefits, office space and equipment stay on the books even when the workload dips.
Single point of failure: one developer leaving can halt a project while you recruit and onboard a replacement.
Limited talent pool: local markets often lack specialists in legacy systems, niche frameworks or emerging technologies.

Who benefits most from a dedicated development team?

Dedicated teams fit leaders who need more engineering capacity without permanent headcount. CTOs and VPs of Engineering scale while keeping control of architecture and quality. Product Managers gain a stable group that learns the product. Startup Founders ship an MVP or second version. IT Directors close skill gaps without long-term commitments.

CTO and VP of Engineering: scale engineering capacity without increasing permanent headcount or losing control over architecture and quality.
Product Managers: a stable group that understands your product over time, instead of freelancers who cycle every few weeks.
Startup Founders: a team that works as an extension of your founding engineers.
IT Directors: fill critical gaps in legacy systems, cloud migration or security.

What you get

What does a DS Stream dedicated team include?

Every engagement covers four areas. You get a team, not a list of CVs.

Team composition

You define the roles, seniority mix and time zone requirements
You interview the top three to five profiles and choose who joins
Senior and lead profiles are available in most mainstream and niche stacks

Skills and stack

Candidates are matched to your stack and domain
Pre-screened profiles for common stacks such as React and Node.js or Python and AWS within five business days
Specialists for data, cloud and AI initiatives, legacy systems and platform modernization

Onboarding and ramp up

Environment setup, codebase walkthrough and access credentials before day one
A two-week ramp with daily check-ins between your lead and the new team
Independent work on assigned tasks from week three

Communication and tools

At least four hours of daily overlap with your core business hours
A DS Stream delivery manager runs daily standups, performance reviews and career development
One monthly invoice per developer

How does DS Stream build your dedicated team?

Four steps take you from a list of gaps to a working team.

Discovery and scoping
We review your product roadmap, current tech stack and team gaps. You define roles, seniority levels and time zone needs. We deliver a team proposal with an estimated ramp-up schedule.
Profile matching
Our recruitment team selects candidates who match your stack and domain. You interview the top three to five profiles. We handle the offer, contract and onboarding paperwork.
Onboarding and integration
Developers get your environment, codebase walkthrough and credentials before day one. After a two-week ramp with daily check-ins, they work independently from week three.
Ongoing management
A DS Stream delivery manager handles standups, performance reviews and career development. You focus on product decisions and feature delivery.

How does the engagement model work?

You can test the team before you commit, and you review it every quarter.

Team blueprint

Before the start, you define roles, seniority mix and time zone requirements. We match from our network of pre-vetted developers.

Trial sprint

Two developers join your existing sprint for two weeks. You evaluate code quality, communication and team fit before a longer engagement.

Full engagement

The team expands to the agreed size. DS Stream handles performance management and retention. You direct the work and review progress weekly.

Contract review

Every quarter you review team performance and adjust scope, size or seniority mix. There is no lock-in period. You can cancel with 30 days notice.

Where dedicated teams work best

Early-stage product builds: MVP and product development
Legacy system upgrades: platform modernization
Continuous feature delivery: ongoing product maintenance
New capability teams: data and AI initiatives

What changes when you have a dedicated team?

3 weeks
Time from contract signature to the first code contribution from a new DS Stream dedicated team.
Source: DS Stream, Dedicated Development Team page
40%
Reduction in total engineering cost compared with hiring equivalent full-time employees locally, driven by lower payroll tax, benefits and HR overhead.
Source: DS Stream, Dedicated Development Team page
15+ years
Average engineering experience of developers assigned to dedicated team engagements.
Source: DS Stream, Dedicated Development Team page
100%
Share of projects where the dedicated team remained stable for the first twelve months of the engagement.
Source: DS Stream, Dedicated Development Team page

How does a dedicated team compare with hiring locally?

Local full-time hiring versus a DS Stream dedicated development team
Criterion	Hiring locally	DS Stream dedicated team
Time to first contribution	12 to 20 weeks for the same roles	About 3 weeks from signed agreement to first commit
Cost structure	Salaries, benefits, office space and equipment, even when work dips	40% lower total engineering cost and one monthly invoice per developer
Turnover risk	One departure can halt a project for weeks	Backfill within two weeks at no extra cost
Scaling	Fixed headcount, severance and legal fees to reduce	Monthly adjustments with 30 days notice and no severance
Talent access	Local market often lacks niche specialists	Senior and lead profiles in most mainstream and niche stacks
People management	Your team runs payroll, HR and replacements	DS Stream handles performance, retention and career development

Frequently asked questions

How fast can a dedicated team start working on my project?

Most teams begin within two to three weeks of the signed agreement. Recruitment starts right after scoping. For common stacks such as React and Node.js or Python and AWS, pre-screened profiles are ready within five business days. The exact timeline depends on how quickly you interview candidates and how specific your stack is.

What happens if a developer leaves the dedicated team?

DS Stream backfills the role within two weeks at no extra cost. Turnover is managed entirely by DS Stream, so you do not interview or onboard the replacement unless you want to. The departing developer documents their work and hands it over to the team. Internal transfers from other projects are preferred to keep the ramp-up short.

Can I scale the dedicated team up or down month to month?

Yes. You can increase or decrease the number of developers with 30 days notice. There is no minimum engagement period per developer and no severance when you reduce headcount. When you need more capacity, new developers join within the same two to three week window as the initial setup.

Do the developers work in my time zone?

Yes. Working hours align with your core business hours, usually with at least four hours of overlap that covers standups and the afternoon decision block. DS Stream operates across Central European, Eastern European and Latin American time zones. For full overlap with US time zones, the team is assigned from nearshore developers in Latin America.

Can I test the team before committing to a longer engagement?

Yes. In a trial sprint, two developers join your existing sprint for two weeks. You evaluate code quality, communication and team fit. Only then does the team expand to the agreed size. After that, you review performance every quarter and can change scope, size or seniority mix.

Who manages the dedicated team day to day?

You direct the work and decide on product priorities. A DS Stream delivery manager runs daily standups, performance reviews and career development, and DS Stream handles payroll, sick days and replacements. You receive a single monthly invoice per developer and review progress weekly during the full engagement.