Case study · Dcubed
How Dcubed filled two engineering roles and got a market read on a third.
- Client
- Dcubed (Dcubed GmbH)
- Service
- Embedded talent acquisition
- Timeline
- March–May 2026 (160 hours)
(01) In short
Dcubed builds release actuators and deployable solar arrays — the mechanisms that hold spacecraft hardware secure through launch and unfold it once in orbit — and through its sister brand Araqys is developing in-space manufacturing, including 3D-printing solar arrays directly in orbit. In spring 2026 the company had three roles open that needed proper focus. Finders Seekers embedded a talent acquisition partner into the team for around 20 hours a week from March to May 2026. Two of the three roles were filled; the third produced a clear read on why it had been hard to fill.
(02) The situation
The situation
Dcubed’s own promise is “space engineering made easy.” Hiring the people who do it is a different matter.
Embedded Avionics Engineer
Systems Engineer
Marketing Lead
In spring 2026 the company had 3 roles needing more support — an Embedded Avionics Engineer, a Systems Engineer and a Marketing Lead. Dcubed has hundreds of units in the field with more than 130 customers worldwide, and its Araqys programme is putting in-space manufacturing hardware into orbit.
Roles that matter this much need proper focus. The company’s next growth stage was starting at the same time, and running 3 technical searches well — careful screening, real candidate communication, proper market work — needed someone who could concentrate on exactly that and nothing else.
Before starting collaboration with Finders Seekers, Dcubed compared several partners. Most offered success fee headhunting, where the recruiter is paid only on placement. What they wanted was someone who could take the work off their hands, represent Dcubed properly while doing it and ensure an excellent candidate experience throughout.
(03) Approach
What we did
- 01
Embedded a talent acquisition partner inside the team.
Around twenty hours a week from late March. Jasmin Niemelä, Senior Tech Talent Advisor, worked from inside the organisation and built her own contacts across it, so the searches never waited on one person’s calendar.
- 02
Ran all three searches end to end.
Application review, direct search, screening, candidate communication, hiring manager support up to the offer stage.
- 03
Brought live market data into the conversation.
Candidate-market reality and benchmarking shared with the hiring managers while the searches were still open, so decisions could be made on current information rather than at the end.
“Jasmin represented us with honour. She genuinely jumped into our team — and it was done transparently: an outsider, but one who knows what she is talking about.”
(04) The engineering roles
How both engineering roles closed
Specialised space engineering roles rarely start out perfectly defined. Both of these sharpened as the searches ran, in conversation with the hiring managers — which is a normal and useful part of the work.
Embedded Avionics Engineer.
How much PCB design depth the role genuinely needed was an open question at the start. Once it was pinned down together, it became the most useful screening question in the process — it separated the strong candidates quickly and saved everyone interview time.
Systems Engineer.
We started the search with a more junior profile, but quickly realised that seniority is what this role requires. We adjusted our criteria and the role closed without much time lost.
Both roles drew strong applicant flow, including candidates with space industry experience. The value was in reading that flow correctly and adjusting fast.
(05) Results
Results
Twenty-seven candidate interviews produced nineteen relevant profiles, of which thirteen went on to hiring manager conversations. Two offers were made and both were accepted.
Interviewed by us
27Presented to hiring managers
19Interviewed by hiring managers
13Roles filled
2
“Good recruitment isn't about pushing hard — it's about reading the room, listening closely, and adjusting your approach in real time. This saves time and money, and prevents the difficulties that often derail offers.”
(06) The third role
The Marketing Lead
The Marketing Lead had been hard to fill for some time before the engagement began. We ran it end to end regardless: a wide direct search, thirteen interviews on our side, six candidates who met the hiring manager and the team, and two who came close to an offer. It was still open when the engagement ended.
What the search produced was a diagnosis. The title is inflated across the industry — people reach Lead and Manager early, with broad remits — so the role as written did not read as a step up to the people best placed to take it. Response rates improved measurably once the requirements were reviewed. We also had several good discussions with the candidates and gained a better understanding of the salary levels for the professionals in this field both in the US and EU.
All of that reached the hiring manager while the search was live rather than in a closing report. Dcubed did not get the hire in this window. What they have now is a better understanding of what the role requires and stronger knowledge about the candidate market.
(07) After the engagement
“Even in the role where we didn't reach the outcome we wanted, there was a lot of value in what Jasmin did. She supported us internally and added to our organization's knowledge.”
Salla Niemelä · Head of People Ops, DcubedMonths after the project closed, Jasmin, unprompted, introduced Dcubed to a candidate who matched the Marketing Lead brief, the kind of follow-through that comes from treating every search as an ongoing commitment to the client.
(08) Service in this case study
Embedded recruitment services
Perfect if you need flexible recruitment support. We’re your extra pairs of hands for periods of demanding hiring needs or to help optimise your recruitment processes, provide hiring manager trainings, or help develop sustainable and scalable talent strategies.