How long does it take to hire a senior software engineer in Europe? The search is only half of it. The start date is the day the offer is accepted plus the candidate's notice, and that notice can be set by the contract, often at a longer figure than the statute. The statute gives a floor: one week in the UK, four weeks in Germany, one month in the Netherlands, and up to three months in Poland for anyone with three years at their employer. This article covers those four countries because they're the ones where we could read the primary law.
The statutory numbers are minimums. Contracts can set longer ones, so the first thing to learn about any finalist is what their contract says.
What is the statutory notice period when a senior engineer resigns?
Here's what the law sets for an employee who resigns. Every row is a floor, and every row can move.
| Country | Employee's statutory notice | What changes it |
|---|---|---|
| UK | At least 1 week, after 1 month of service | Contract can set longer; either side can waive notice or pay in lieu |
| Germany | 4 weeks, to the 15th or the end of a calendar month | Contract can set longer; probation (up to 6 months) is 2 weeks |
| Netherlands | 1 month, permanent contract | Contract or collective agreement (cao) can differ |
| Poland | 2 weeks (under 6 months at the employer), 1 month (6 months or more), 3 months (3 years or more) | Notice counted in months ends on the last day of a month (Art. 30 §2¹) |
The UK rule comes from section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. An employee with at least a month of service must give not less than one week, the contract can't go below that, and either party can waive notice or accept payment in lieu.
Germany's rule is in section 622 of the Civil Code (BGB). The four weeks end on the 15th or the last day of a calendar month, so the rounding can add days to your wait. The employer's own periods rise with tenure, from one month after two years up to seven months after twenty. The code lets a contract lengthen the employee's period, but the employee's period may not be longer than the employer's (§622(6)). In practice a long clause is lawful when it binds both sides, which is why three-month clauses appear for senior staff. The Dutch employee-side rule, as the UWV publishes it, is one month on a permanent contract, and a cao or contract may change it. If the employee's period is longer than one month, the employer's must be twice as long.
Poland is the odd one out. Article 36 of the Labour Code ties notice to time at the employer, so a senior with three or more years there has three months by statute alone. In the other three countries, a three-month notice for a senior engineer comes from the contract.
Why the contract, not the statute, can set the start date
Several vendor blogs call three months typical in Germany. The ones we read cite no legal source, and the statute above says four weeks. Three months can be in the contract. It isn't in the law.
Treat any "typical notice" figure, ours included, as a prompt to ask. At the first interview, ask the candidate for the clause, in writing if possible, and ask whether it rounds to month-end. In Germany the section 622(1) rounding is sourced, so a candidate who says "four weeks" may mean closer to six. A candidate who says "I'll check" is telling you the date is open.
Vendors also contradict each other about how much notice adds. Soroc Systems, a staff augmentation vendor, claims a senior hire in Europe takes five to nine months from job posting to a productive engineer. Taleva, another vendor, puts the gap between time-to-fill and time-to-hire at 15-20 days across Europe and 20-25 in Germany, while also calling 3-month notice "standard" in Germany. These figures don't reconcile, and neither is sourced to primary data, so don't plan a hire on either.
When must the req open for a Q1 start?
Work backwards. Take the start date you need, subtract the candidate's notice, subtract offer-to-accept, subtract interview stages, subtract sourcing. The result is the day the req must already be open.
Notice is the one input you can read from law. The rest is yours to measure, and no sourced figure exists for it. For this example we'll assume these durations, and you should replace them with your own pipeline's numbers:
- Sourcing to shortlist: 3 weeks (assumption)
- Interview stages: 3 weeks (assumption)
- Offer to accepted: 1 week (assumption)
That's 7 weeks before notice starts. Say you need the engineer in seat on 1 March 2027.
| Candidate's employer | Notice used | Offer must be accepted by | Req must open by |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 1 week (statutory) | about 22 Feb 2027 | about 4 Jan 2027 |
| Netherlands | 1 month (statutory) | about 31 Jan 2027 | about 13 Dec 2026 |
| Germany | 4 weeks (statutory, to the 15th or month-end) | about 31 Jan 2027 | about 13 Dec 2026 |
| Poland, 3+ years of tenure | 3 months (statutory) | about 1 Dec 2026 | about 13 Oct 2026 |
Three of the four countries use month-end rules: Germany (§622(1): the 15th or month-end), the Netherlands (the UWV says notice runs to the end of a month) and Poland (Labour Code Art. 30 §2¹: notice counted in months ends on the last day of a month). So a candidate's last day is 28 Feb 2027 and the start is 1 March. The table assumes notice is given on the day the offer is accepted, and dates are rounded.
The Polish row is the finding: with a 1 March target and a seven-week search, the req needed to be open before today (30 October 2026). Opening it now with the same 7-week assumption puts acceptance around 18 December. Polish notice measured in months ends on the last day of a month, so the candidate's last day would be 31 March at best and the start 1 April. That's Q2, not Q1.
Add a contractual three months to any of the other countries and you get the Polish row. That's the reason to ask for the clause early, because it moves your req date by months.
One fact from our side belongs here and it's narrow: HighCircl's shortlist of three to five candidates in 72 hours shortens sourcing. It doesn't touch notice.
For what the search costs, see what a senior developer costs in Europe.
What bridges the gap between offer and start?
If the date arithmetic misses Q1, you have four levers. The first is the cheapest and the least certain.
Negotiate the start date. In the UK, section 86 lets the parties waive notice or pay in lieu, so an early release is a lawful request. For the other three countries we have no sourced rule, so the answer is "only if the current employer agrees", and you should get that in writing before you plan around it.
Put a contractor in from day one. A contractor can usually start much sooner than a permanent hire, since there's no employer notice to serve, though availability varies. They work the same backlog and hand over to the permanent hire when notice ends. If that's the route, check the contract-to-hire terms before you sign. As judgment, not law: look for the conversion fee, the notice the contractor owes, who owns the IP produced during the contract, and any non-solicit that makes converting expensive. HighCircl's permanent-hire buyout is 18% of annual gross, disclosed from the start. Whatever any vendor quotes, get the number in writing.
Bring in interim leadership. If the missing person is a lead and not an individual contributor, an interim lead covers the decision gap that a contractor doesn't.
Prepare before day one. Access, environments and a first ticket ready mean the new hire ships in week one, not week three. That shortens time to productive, not time to start, but it's the part of the gap you fully control.
The resign side of this is covered in a backfill plan when a key engineer resigns. If you're hiring after a round, the first 90 days after a Series A shows where start dates fit the wider plan.
What this means for your Q1 plan
Decide three things by a date, not in a hallway.
First, open the req now if any likely candidate is in Poland, or if you don't yet know the notice terms. By the table above, a Polish senior with three years at their employer already puts a 1 March start out of reach on these assumptions, and a contract with a three-month clause does the same anywhere else.
Second, decide whether a contractor starts in January. If your Q1 deliverable can't wait for a permanent hire's notice to run, the contractor decision is the plan, and the permanent search is the follow-up. In our judgment, deciding this in December costs you weeks of cover.
Third, put notice clauses into the first interview script. It costs one question and it removes the largest unknown from your timeline.
If the contractor route is the next question, read whether contractors count against headcount before you raise it with finance. For more on running an engineering team through growth, see the startup CTO guides.
Hiring a senior engineer through HighCircl
HighCircl sends a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates within 72 hours. Candidates pass four stages run by senior engineers (background verification, communication and product thinking, a take-home project, and a live architecture session), and about 10% of applicants get through. That shortens sourcing. It does not shorten the candidate's notice period, which still applies to a permanent employee, so matching speed isn't a start date. For the full process and terms, see hiring a senior engineer through HighCircl.
FAQ
What is the legal notice period in the Netherlands?
On a permanent contract the employee's notice is one month, according to the UWV. A collective agreement or the contract can change it. If the employee's period is longer than a month, the employer's must be twice as long.
Is a 3-month notice standard in Germany?
Not by law. The Civil Code sets four weeks to the 15th or end of a month for employees, and a contract may lengthen it. Some vendors call three months typical, but they cite no legal source. Ask the candidate for the clause.
Can a candidate start before their notice ends?
In the UK the statutory one week can be waived or paid in lieu (s.86(3)); a longer contractual notice needs the employer's agreement. Elsewhere, only if the current employer agrees. As judgment, ask for that agreement in writing before you move your start date.
How long does it take to hire a senior engineer in Europe?
Add your own sourcing, interview and offer stages to the candidate's notice. Vendors give wide ranges, such as Soroc's five to nine months, but they're claims, not primary data. Measure your last hire and use the table above.
Sources
- UK Government: Employment Rights Act 1996, section 86
- Federal Ministry of Justice: BGB section 622, notice periods in employment
- UWV: Opzegtermijn (notice period)
- Sejm of Poland: Labour Code (Kodeks pracy), consolidated text, including Arts. 30 and 36
- Soroc Systems: How long to hire a senior developer
- Taleva: Time to hire