Materialize Hires Niche Engineers Abroad, Fast

At a glance

• Engineers onboarded in Germany and Spain.
• Guidance on Germany’s AÜG rules.
• Trusted path for future hires.

Overview

Materialize provides a streaming data platform that lets engineers build real-time applications in standard SQL. As demand grew, they identified specialized software engineers in Germany and Spain. Without international entities—or the resources to create them—they needed a faster, compliant way to employ those candidates and keep product development moving. Pebl offered a practical path forward. 

Challenge

Finding capable engineering talent is hard; finding experts who can build a sophisticated database is harder. Materialize pinpointed ideal hires in Germany and Spain but lacked entities to employ them. They couldn’t turn down perfect candidates, and establishing entities was too costly and time-intensive. The team needed a way to hire full-time employees abroad quickly and compliantly—backed by clear communication and confidence on nuanced local rules—so product work could continue without delay. 

Solution

Materialize evaluated global employer of record (EOR) providers and selected Pebl for their comprehensive service, compliance expertise, and thorough communication. The team’s in-country knowledge—especially clear explanations of Germany’s AÜG rules—stood out over budget competitors. Pebl provided the close partnership Materialize wanted and the assurance that hiring would remain compliant while engineers were supported end-to-end through a full-service EOR approach, giving leaders confidence to move quickly on critical hires in Germany and Spain.

Outcome

Pebl quickly and compliantly onboarded Materialize’s engineers in Germany and Spain, giving the product team capacity to meet demand. Ongoing, responsive support kept employees happy and comfortable, and the partnership became the default path for future hires—even when visa issues arise. After six months, Materialize felt confident a simple request would be handled promptly, reinforcing trust to continue adding talent overseas as new needs emerged.