Upstaff’s Guide to Hire Scala Developer in 2025

Scala

Need a vetted Scala expert for big data or distributed systems? Upstaff connects you with top Akka, Spark, or Cats Effect talent in 72 hours. Beat the 2025 hiring scala programmers chaos with our proven process.

Explore Upstaff’s Data Engineer and Back-end Developer Hiring Guide

Scala
2K+ Vetted Developers
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48 hours average start

What You’re Searching For

Hiring a Scala developer can be challenging due to the language’s specialized nature. You’re likely searching for answers to find trusted talent, understand costs, or avoid project delays. This guide is built for you.

Why Hire Scala Developers with Upstaff?

Scala’s specialized skills power big data and fintech in 2025. Upstaff’s manual vetting (92% retention rate) cuts through AI resume noise to deliver elite talent. Learn about 2025 trends.

How to Hire a Scala Developer: Step-by-Step

Table of Contents

Follow this expert guide to hire a reliable Scala developer for your big data or distributed systems project. Read more tips in our blog.

2025 Scala Trend

Scala demand in big data grew 35% due to Spark integration—perfect for AI and fintech (LinkedIn, 2025).

1. Define Your Project Needs

Determine if you need a Scala developer for functional programming (Cats Effect), big data (Spark), or distributed systems (Akka). Specify scope, timeline, and budget. Example: Need a Spark developer for a 4-month data analytics project, $10,000 budget.

2. Write a Clear Job Description

A strong job post attracts top Scala talent. Example:

  • Title: Senior Scala Developer (Spark)
  • Role: Build scalable data pipelines for analytics platform.
  • Skills: Scala, Spark, Akka, SBT, Git; Kafka a plus.
  • Rate: $80-120/hour, remote.

Download our free job description template.

3. Interview Effectively

Ask targeted questions to assess Scala expertise:

  • Question: “How do you use Scala’s type system to prevent errors?”
    Good Answer: Mentions type safety, pattern matching, or algebraic data types for robust code.
  • Question: “Explain how you’d optimize a Spark job.”
    Good Answer: Discusses partitioning, caching, or broadcast variables to reduce shuffle costs.
  • Question: “How do you handle concurrency in Akka?”
    Good Answer: Explains actors, message passing, and supervision strategies.

Use coding tests to verify skills, like writing a small Akka actor system. See 15+ Scala interview questions.

4. Avoid Common Pitfalls

Steer clear of these mistakes:

  • Overlooking Functional Skills: Ensure expertise in Scala’s functional paradigms.
  • Unclear Scope: Define deliverables to avoid delays (e.g., “Build a Spark pipeline”).
  • Cost-Only Focus: Low rates may lead to inexperienced hires.
  • Ignoring Team Fit: Verify communication and Agile experience.

Expert Insight

“Scala developers excel in complex systems, but you need to test their functional programming skills and framework knowledge to ensure they can deliver scalable solutions.” – Elena V., Senior Recruiter at HireJS Guide

Post Hiring Support (Extra offer):

  • Technical Oversight: Optional supervision to ensure your Scala developer aligns with project goals, such as maintaining type safety or optimizing Spark jobs.

  • Tooling and Integration Support: Guidance on integrating Scala with your existing stack, like setting up Kafka streams or deploying with Docker.

  • Ongoing Assistance: Our team is available to resolve issues, from debugging complex monadic chains to coordinating with your in-house engineers.

Hire Scala developer with Upstaff.com

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Yaroslav Kuntsevych
co-CEO

Upstaff Success Story: Scala in Action

How Upstaff helped a fintech startup, inspired by our work with Accenture, hire a Scala expert in 4 days.

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Meet Upstaff’s Vetted Scala Developers

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Haskell 3yr.
Scala 2yr.
Plutus 2yr.
Akka
Cardano
...

- 3 years of experience in Plutus / Cardano smart contracts developer role (Plutus Core, Plutarch) - Cardano ecosystem knowledge - Haskell, Scala, Cabal/Stack, GADTs/Type families, Generics, Servant, lenses, mtl, free monads - senior-level professional - Functional programming with FRP, Redux, Event sourcing, Category theory - OOP, OOD, UML, Design patterns, SOLID, DI. TDD, BDD, Unit, functional, and integration testing - 14 years of experience in software engineering

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Seniority Senior (5-10 years)
Location Ukraine
Scala 5yr.
Python
Java
AWS
...

- 12 years of experience in backend development, including leadership roles in cross-functional teams; - Expertise in Scala, Python, and Java (with knowledge of functional programming principles); - Experience in system architecture improvements, leading teams, and developing scalable solutions; - Expertise in PostgreSQL, Oracle DB, MongoDB, and SQL; - Cloud environments such as AWS including performance and scalability optimization; - Docker and Kubernetes for container orchestration; - Apache Kafka for building event-driven architectures; - Led AI-driven projects in areas such as resume parsing, payroll automation, and learning management;

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Seniority Expert (10+ years)
Location Malaga, Spain
Scala
Java
AWS
...
Seniority Middle (3-5 years)
Location Ternopil, Ukraine
Scala
...

Software Engineer with proficiency in data engineering, specializing in backend development and data processing. Accrued expertise in building and maintaining scalable data systems using technologies such as Scala, Akka, SBT, ScalaTest, Elasticsearch, RabbitMQ, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms like AWS and Google Cloud. Holds a solid foundation in computer science with a Master's degree in Software Engineering, ongoing Ph.D. studies, and advanced certifications. Demonstrates strong proficiency in English, underpinned by international experience. Adept at incorporating CI/CD practices, contributing to all stages of the software development lifecycle. Track record of enhancing querying capabilities through native language text processing and executing complex CI/CD pipelines. Distinguished by technical agility, consistently delivering improvements in processing flows and back-end systems.

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Seniority Senior (5-10 years)
Location Ukraine
Scala
Java
...

- 5+ years of experience in IT - Upper-intermediate English - Available ASAP

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Seniority Senior (5-10 years)
Location Belarus
Scala
SQL
AWS
...

- Professional engineer with proven ability to develop efficient solutions for complex problems, including cloud and Data projects; - Microservice architecture expertise Lightbend Reactive Architecture, Infrastructure as Code expertise in AWS CloudFormation, CI/CD (Gitlab, AWS CodePipeline), Cloud expertise - AWS; -Engineer with the ability to develop efficient solutions for complex problems, including cloud projects, AWS Services (Amazon Quicksight, EC2, S3, Glue), Databricks, Kinesis; - API development RESTful, Swagger, GraphQL, API Gateway, Microservice architecture expertise - Commercial experience in IT since 2013; - Lightbend Reactive Architecture, Infrastructure as Code expertise in AWS CloudFormation, CI/CD (Gitlab, AWS CodePipeline); - System level programming, OOP and OOD, functional programming; Stress on profiling and optimizing code, writing reliable code; - System-level programming, OOP and OOD, functional programming; - Profiling and optimizing JVM code; - Experience with product documentation and supporting products; - Upper-intermediate English; - Available ASAP.

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Seniority Senior (5-10 years)
Location Ternopil, Ukraine
AWS big data services 5yr.
Microsoft Azure 3yr.
Python
ETL
...

- Data Engineer with a Ph.D. degree in Measurement methods, Master of industrial automation - 16+ years experience with data-driven projects - Strong background in statistics, machine learning, AI, and predictive modeling of big data sets. - AWS Certified Data Analytics. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. Microsoft Azure services. - Experience in ETL operations and data curation - PostgreSQL, SQL, Microsoft SQL, MySQL, Snowflake - Big Data Fundamentals via PySpark, Google Cloud, AWS. - Python, Scala, C#, C++ - Skills and knowledge to design and build analytics reports, from data preparation to visualization in BI systems.

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Seniority Expert (10+ years)
Location Ukraine
C++
Rust
...

- Experienced C++/Rust/Mobile/Scala Developer with a demonstrated history of working in the financial/media services industries. - Skilled in C/C++. rust, Java, Mobile Applications, Python/Ruby, Haskell. Strong engineering professional graduated from Dnipropetrovs'kij Nacional'nij University. - Intermediate English

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Seniority Senior (5-10 years)
Location Binz, Switzerland

Let’s set up a call to address your requirements and set up an account.

Scala Tech Radar

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Our journey starts with a 30-min discovery call to explore your project challenges, technical needs and team diversity.
Photo: Yaroslav Kuntsevych(Upstaff CEO)
Yaroslav Kuntsevych
co-CEO

Scala Developer Costs with Upstaff in 2025

Upstaff’s global talent saves up to 50% vs. US rates (BLS, Statista, 2025).

Why Upstaff

Upstaff is a technology partner with expertise in AI, Web3, Software, and Data. We help businesses gain competitive edge by optimizing existing systems and utilizing modern technology to fuel business growth.

Real-time project team launch

<24h

Interview First Engineers

Upstaff's network enables clients to access specialists within hours & days, streamlining the hiring process to 24-48 hours, start ASAP.

x10

Faster Talent Acquisition

Upstaff's network & platform enables clients to scale up and down blazing fast. Every hire typically is 10x faster comparing to regular recruitement workflow.

Vetted and Trusted Network

100%

Security And Vetting-First

AI tools and expert human reviewers in the vetting process is combined with track record & historically collected feedbacks from clients and teammates.

~50h

Save Time For Deep Vetting

In average, we save over 50 hours of client team to interview candidates for each job position. We are fueled by a passion for tech expertise, drawn from our deep understanding of the industry.

Flexible Engagement Models

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Custom Engagement Models

Flexible staffing solutions, accommodating both short-term projects and longer-term engagements, full-time & part-time

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Unique Talent Ecosystem

Candidate Staffing Platform stores data about past and present candidates, enables fast work and scalability, providing clients with valuable insights into their talent pipeline.

Transparent

$0

No Hidden Costs

Price quoted is the total price to you. No hidden or unexpected cost for for candidate placement.

x1

One Consolidated Invoice

No matter how many engineers you employ, there is only one monthly consolidated invoice.

How to hire with Upstaff

Seniority
Talk to Our Talent Expert
Our journey starts with a 30-min discovery call to explore your project challenges, technical needs and team diversity.
Seniority
Meet Carefully Matched Talents
Within 1-3 days, we’ll share profiles and connect you with the right talents for your project. Schedule a call to meet engineers in person.
Seniority
Validate Your Choice
Bring new talent on board with a trial period to confirm you hire the right one. There are no termination fees or hidden costs.

Trusted by Businesses

Upstaff operates as a partner, not just an agency. Express that they aim for long-term cooperation and are dedicated to fulfilling client requirements, whether it’s a short one-month project or a more extended collaboration.
Trusted by People - Testimonials and Reviews

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What Scala Developers Say

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Scala diagram

Insights from the Scala community to guide your hiring.

“Scala’s type safety and Akka actors make concurrent systems a breeze—perfect for fintech.” – u/ScalaPro, Reddit

Upstaff’s Scala Hiring Resources

Download Upstaff’s Scala Developer Hiring Checklist to streamline your process.

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Our journey starts with a 30-min discovery call to explore your project challenges, technical needs and team diversity.
Photo: Yaroslav Kuntsevych(Upstaff CEO)
Yaroslav Kuntsevych
co-CEO

FAQs on Scala Development

How long does it take to hire a Scala developer with Upstaff? Arrow

Upstaff matches you with vetted Scala talent in 72 hours, with 5-10 vetting calls per candidate.

Why choose Upstaff over other platforms? Arrow

Upstaff’s manual vetting outperforms AI platforms by 35% in client satisfaction. Compare platforms.

Why choose Scala over Java? Arrow

Scala excels in concurrency and big data but is rarer. Compare in our blog.

What’s the demand for Scala in 2025? Arrow

Up 35% in big data and fintech (LinkedIn, 2025).

How does Upstaff ensure quality? Arrow

Our 92% retention rate comes from rigorous vetting (Upstaff data).

What’s Upstaff’s Scala Skill Score? Arrow

Scala scores 92/100 for big data projects, based on demand and vetting rigor.

Our Scala programmers have built systems for industries like finance, e-commerce, and telecom, working on projects such as:

  • Real-time trading platforms using Akka for low-latency concurrency.

  • Data pipelines with Spark and Scala for processing terabytes of data.

  • RESTful APIs and microservices with Play Framework or Http4s.

  • Event-driven architectures with Kafka and ZIO for fault-tolerant systems.

Can I hire part-time Scala developers? Arrow

Yes, Upstaff offers flexible freelance or part-time options.

How does Upstaff vet Scala developers? Arrow

We test expertise in Akka, Spark, or Cats Effect with coding challenges. See Akka vetting.

At Upstaff, we start by analyzing your project’s technical needs (if that’s optimize a Spark-based ETL pipeline, build a reactive API with Cats Effect, or integrate Scala with Kubernetes for cloud-native deployment). Our team will identifiy developers with the exact skills and domain experience you need, such as:

  • Akka for actor-based concurrency or ZIO for effectful programming.

  • Spark and Scala for big data analytics or machine learning pipelines.

  • Frameworks like Play, Finagle, or Http4s for backend development.

This matching process is free. We will provide  candidate profiles, including their experience with specific Scala libraries and tools, so you can make an informed choice.

What is the paradigm of the Scala programming language? Arrow

Scala supports both functional and object-oriented programming paradigms, making it a hybrid language.

Scala Paradigms

In its functional paradigm, developers use immutable data, higher-order functions, and concepts like monads, functors, and applicatives to write concise, predictable code. For example, libraries like Cats and Scalaz enable functional programming patterns for handling side effects or composing computations. In its object-oriented paradigm, Scala uses traits, classes, and objects to support encapsulation and inheritance, with features like mixins for flexible code reuse. This dual nature allows Scala engineers to choose the best approach for the task—functional for data pipelines with Spark, or object-oriented for modular backend systems with Play. This flexibility makes Scala ideal for projects requiring both scalability and maintainability, such as real-time analytics or distributed APIs.

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