Vercel needed to scale across APJ without an in-region recruiter, no local TA presence, and a GTM hiring mandate that demanded credibility inside technical, developer-led markets.

Vercel needed commercial and enterprise AEs who could sell to developers, a marketing lead with web expertise, and SDRs comfortable in technical cycles. But APJ developer communities value authenticity over brand awareness, and without local insight, strong operators stayed out of reach.

With no in-region recruiter, search cycles slowed and pipeline plans risked slipping. They needed a partner who understood developer audiences, could convert passive talent, and drive a hiring process built for technical GTM roles.

Playbook activated a model built for developer-centric hiring and APJ nuance.

Market Discovery
Playbook mapped micro-markets, competitor “headhunt homes,” open-source contributors, meetup organisers and operators active across developer Slack communities.

Localised Narrative
Playbook built a region-specific story that linked Vercel’s product velocity, developer happiness and the real impact GTM talent could have in APJ.

Community Activation

Playbook targeted developers embedded in OSS networks, framework communities, and local meetups. Peer intros replaced cold approaches, improving response rates.

Headhunt-to-Hire Engine

Operator-style cadence kept everything tight and aligned. Playbook delivered calibrated shortlists, ran a fast “two-call close” flow that respected candidates’ time, and maintained clear role scoping to avoid misfires.

Shortlists were delivered within three days. The first successful GTM hire landed in just 3.5 weeks, setting the pace for subsequent searches.

A 90% acceptance rate among passive candidates confirmed strong narrative alignment and credibility in developer circles.

Across the project, Vercel gained a repeatable APJ hiring playbook. It became a practical model for future GTM roles that depend on technical fluency and community trust.

Key outcomes delivered

1. 27-day average time to fill
2. 5 of 7 hires from scale up companies and competitors
3. 100% candidate success rate