How to Hire a Magento Developer: Key considerations and expert tips

Magento, one of the most powerful and flexible eCommerce platforms, requires developers with specialised expertise to unlock its full potential. This blog is designed to help business owners and managers navigate the hiring process efficiently. It outlines key qualifications to look for—including technical skills, certifications, coding expertise, industry experience, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills. Additionally, it explores the benefits and drawbacks of different hiring models and brings practical tips for making the right decision. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to hire a Magento developer who aligns with your business goals and ensures long-term success.

Key considerations for hiring the right Magento developers

Hiring the right Magento developer requires careful evaluation. Below are key factors to consider when selecting a developer for your project.

Technical expertise

From certifications and specialised skills to database management, integration capabilities, and performance optimisation, a thorough assessment helps you select a developer who meets your business needs.

• Magento certifications: Adobe offers various certifications that validate a developer's proficiency with Magento, corresponding to different skill levels (Professional, Expert, and Master). You should check whether developers hold the following certifications to assess their expertise.
  • Adobe Certified Professional (Adobe Commerce Developer, Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner, Adobe Commerce Front-End Developer): These certifications validate a developer’s foundational knowledge of Magento’s core concepts and functionalities. They are suitable for projects requiring basic Magento skills, such as setting up essential eCommerce features, configuring themes, or making simple customisations. Developers with this certification are well-suited for tasks involving routine implementations or small-scale customisations.
  • Adobe Certified Expert (Adobe Commerce Developer, Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner, Adobe Commerce Front-End Developer): These certifications are designed for developers with a deeper understanding of Magento. They demonstrate the ability to manage more advanced development tasks, such as custom module creation, performance optimisation, and complex integrations with third-party systems. Developers holding this certification are suitable for projects that require advanced problem-solving and a high level of technical proficiency but do not necessitate enterprise-level architecture.
  • Adobe Certified Master—Adobe Commerce Architect: This certification represents the highest level of Magento expertise, recognising a deep understanding of Magento’s architecture and advanced system design. Developers holding this certification excel at designing and implementing complex architectures, multi-site configurations, and integrating multiple business systems. They are ideal for high-growth or large-scale eCommerce businesses that require customised and scalable solutions.
• Knowledge and experience with Magento 2 migration: As eCommerce businesses increasingly adopt Magento 2 for its enhanced performance, security, and scalability—and with Magento 1 no longer receiving official support—developers must possess strong expertise in Magento 2 migration to ensure a seamless transition. A Magento developer needs to have a deep understanding of Magento 2’s architecture and features, as well as experience in data migration, preserving SEO rankings, and integrating custom features. Additionally, they should be proficient in optimising Magento 2’s advanced features, such as improved speed and security, to ensure the migrated store operates at its highest potential.
• Specialised skills: Magento developers often specialise in different areas such as theme modification, custom extension development, and third-party integrations. Evaluating a developer’s specialised skills is crucial to ensuring they have the right expertise to deliver tailored, high-performance solutions that align with business goals. For example, if a business needs to sync its Magento store with an ERP system to automate inventory and order management, they should look for a developer proficient in ERP integrations to ensure accurate, real-time data synchronisation between both systems.
• Database management: A Magento developer’s expertise in database management is essential to maintaining smooth store performance, especially as your business scales. If your store has thousands of products and starts slowing down, database inefficiencies could be one of the causes. A skilled developer can boost site speed by optimising how data is stored and retrieved, fine-tuning database searches, and implementing effective caching strategies like Redis and Full-Page Caching.
• Integration capabilities: When evaluating a Magento developer, their ability to integrate Magento with external systems is an important factor. Developers with experience in REST, GraphQL, and SOAP APIs can facilitate efficient data exchange between Magento and ERP, CRM, payment gateways, and other third-party services.
• Performance, security, and SEO: When evaluating a Magento developer, assess their ability to optimise performance, security, and SEO, as these factors directly impact user experience and search rankings. A qualified developer should implement caching, query optimisation, and code minification for fast load times, apply security patches, SSL encryption, and PCI-compliant development to protect customer data, and configure structured data, clean URLs, and mobile responsiveness to enhance SEO ranking and user experience.

Coding skills

Magento development involves expertise in numerous different coding languages and technologies. Here is a more detailed description of the coding skills you should look for when recruiting Magento developers:

• Key programming languages and technologies: Magento developers must possess strong expertise in key programming languages such as PHP and JavaScript to build and optimise the platform effectively. On the front end, expertise in JavaScript is required to implement interactive elements, dynamic content, and deliver a smooth user experience. Proficiency in PHP is essential for managing backend tasks, including creating custom features, resolving issues, and seamlessly integrating APIs.
• Magento-specific coding practices: Magento’s frontend development follows structured coding standards to ensure maintainability, scalability, and performance. Developers must understand RequireJS for JavaScript module loading and Knockout.js for dynamic UI components, both integral to Magento 2’s core architecture. For those adopting Hyvä, best practices shift towards Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS, which replace Magento’s default JavaScript stack for improved performance. Mastering these coding practices ensures efficient and optimised Magento development.

Market knowledge

Market knowledge refers to a developer’s understanding of industry-specific eCommerce trends, customer behaviour, business needs, and competitive strategies. Developers with strong market knowledge can:

• Enhance user experience: Developers with a deep understanding of customer behaviour can design solutions that significantly enhance the user experience. For example, in the fashion industry, shoppers often begin their journey by browsing for styles, relying on size guides, and seeking personalised recommendations. An experienced developer can implement features like virtual try-on tools, comprehensive size guides, and AI-driven product recommendations. These features enhance usability and personalisation, potentially increasing engagement and conversions.
• Optimise for competitive advantage: Developers with strong market knowledge can align your Magento store with industry best practices, giving you a competitive edge. For instance, Magento developers who have worked with B2B clients might have experience with advanced features like tiered pricing, quote management, or automated reordering systems to streamline the purchasing process for business customers. 

Problem-solving skills

Magento development is complex, and challenges are bound to arise during the process. The ability to solve problems efficiently is one of the most important traits to look for in a developer. Here are key aspects to consider:

• Analytical thinking: A Magento developer should be adept at breaking down complex problems into manageable parts and identifying root causes. For example, if a Magento store’s checkout is slow, an analytical developer might break the issue into smaller parts, such as page load times, server responses, and third-party extensions. They then systematically analyse each part to pinpoint the root cause—such as a third-party extension causing redundant database queries—and propose a targeted fix, ensuring a smoother user experience and better overall performance.
• Creative problem-solving: Creative problem-solving in Magento development means thinking beyond standard fixes to devise innovative, efficient, and scalable solutions. For example, when a Magento store with a large catalogue faces sluggish product filtering, a skilled developer may optimise database queries but also recognise that it may not be a sustainable fix. They could implement Elasticsearch or a custom indexing system to restructure how product data is processed, significantly improving filtering speed and ensuring the store remains scalable as it grows.
• Tailored solutions for client needs: Every business has unique requirements, and a proficient developer should be capable of designing custom solutions that align with their objectives. Imagine a retailer specialising in made-to-order furniture—they require a product configurator that lets customers select materials, colours, and dimensions while instantly updating the price. As Magento’s default product options don’t support this level of customisation, a proficient developer should be able to build a bespoke configurator that integrates with the store’s pricing rules and inventory management—offering a tailored solution that enhances the customer experience while streamlining order processing.
• Proactive solutions: A proficient Magento developer anticipates potential challenges and implements preventive measures, rather than just addressing immediate issues. For example, ahead of high-traffic events like Black Friday, they optimise server configurations and databases to minimise downtime and ensure a seamless shopping experience.

Project and time management skills

When hiring a Magento developer, evaluating their project and time management skills is essential to ensure timely delivery and maintain development quality. Here’s what to look for: 

• Meeting deadlines and prioritising tasks: To meet milestones on schedule, a Magento developer should follow a structured approach to task management. This includes assessing priorities, breaking down complex tasks, and allocating time efficiently.
• Flexibility for urgent needs: Even the most well-planned projects can encounter unexpected challenges. A proficient developer must be able to shift priorities quickly and resolve urgent problems without disrupting other project elements. For example, if a security flaw is detected, they should be able to pause non-critical tasks to apply patches immediately, safeguarding your store’s integrity.
• Project management tools: Familiarity with project management tools like Jira, Trello, Asana, or ClickUp helps developers stay organised, track progress, and optimise workflows, ensuring efficiency and productivity throughout the project lifecycle.
• Agile development practices: Agile is a project management methodology that emphasises iterative progress, collaboration, and adaptability. Magento developers familiar with this method can break down their projects into sprints, enabling step-by-step feature deployment, testing, and refinement. This improves efficiency, accelerates time-to-market, and ensures the store stays aligned with business objectives and user needs.

Communication and collaboration skills

Strong communication and collaboration are essential for Magento developers to work effectively within a team. They must convey technical concepts clearly, use the right communication tools, and collaborate effectively with stakeholders to ensure smooth project execution. 

• Clear and effective communication: A skilled developer should be able to explain complex technical concepts in simple terms, making it easier for non-technical team members to understand project progress.
• Familiarity with communication tools: Magento development often involves remote and hybrid teams, making proficiency with communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom valuable. Developers should be familiar with these tools to facilitate discussions, quick issue resolution, and real-time collaboration.
• Collaboration skills: A Magento development project often requires developers to work alongside designers, marketers, business analysts, and other stakeholders. A developer with effective collaboration skills should excel at teamwork, active listening, and conflict resolution.

Availability

When hiring a Magento developer, it’s important to evaluate their ability to dedicate sufficient time to your project and provide reliable support when needed. 

• Dedicated time to your project: Developers’ ability to dedicate sufficient time to your project is essential for timely delivery and smooth execution. To evaluate this, you should review their current workload and project pipeline to ensure they can effectively prioritise your tasks.
• Working hours and time zone alignment: If your business operates in a different time zone, make sure the developer’s working hours align with your needs for timely communication.
• Responsiveness: A developer should reply to enquiries and resolve issues quickly to keep the project on track. Their response time during initial discussions—such as how fast they reply to emails or schedule calls—can indicate their availability and reliability throughout the project.
• Ongoing support: Magento stores require continuous maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting. You should confirm whether the developer offers post-launch support and under what terms.
• Proactive availability for peak periods: During high-traffic events, your stores might require additional support for performance monitoring and emergency fixes. A developer who stays proactively available can prevent downtime and minimise revenue loss.

Portfolio and previous work

Reviewing a developer’s portfolio helps you assess their skills, creativity, and ability to deliver quality results. Consider these factors when evaluating their work:

• Industry-specific experience: Check if the developer has worked on Magento projects within your specific industry. This ensures they understand industry-specific requirements and are able to implement effective solutions. For example, a developer experienced in B2B eCommerce will be familiar with challenges like managing complex pricing models and handling bulk ordering and can implement B2B features such as company account management, custom pricing, and auto-reordering.
• Diversity of experience: A portfolio with successful projects from various industries demonstrates a developer's ability to adapt to different challenges and requirements. This breadth of experience is particularly valuable for businesses with unique needs, as they often require the developer’s capability to deliver tailored solutions for complex requirements.
• UX/UI design: You should assess the visual appeal and user-friendliness of the showcased projects in the developer’s portfolio. Their ability to design intuitive navigation, mobile-responsive layouts, and aesthetically pleasing interfaces is essential for enhancing the customer experience. 

Client reviews and testimonials

Client reviews and testimonials provide firsthand insight into a Magento developer’s reliability, quality of work, and overall performance. 

• Where to find reliable reviews: To gather credible feedback, check trusted third-party platforms (Clutch, Upwork, GoodFirms, Trustpilot), case studies on developers’ websites, LinkedIn recommendations, and direct references from past clients.
• Evaluating the authenticity of reviews: When assessing reviews, you should look for detailed feedback that mentions specific challenges, solutions, and measurable outcomes. Besides, balanced reviews that highlight both strengths and areas for improvement are often more trustworthy than overly positive or vague testimonials. You can verify the credibility of reviews by checking for consistency across multiple sources and ensuring they are linked to verified business profiles.
• What to look for in reviews and testimonials: You should prioritise feedback related to specific expertise, such as technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, and post-launch support. Additionally, look for reviews from repeat clients, as they can reflect a developer’s consistency and trustworthiness.

Post-launch support and long-term partnership

After launching your Magento site, ongoing support is essential to address any issues and ensure smooth operation. A dependable developer should provide maintenance services to keep your store secure, updated, and performing optimally. Building a long-term relationship with your developer is equally important, as it ensures continuous collaboration and adaptability to your evolving business needs.

• Continuous support and regular maintenance: Enquire about post-launch services such as bug fixes and platform updates. A proactive developer will monitor your site for issues, apply security patches, and optimise performance. This helps reduce downtime, protect against vulnerabilities, and improve user experience.
• Long-term partnership: It’s valuable to partner with developers who are committed to long-term collaboration. They’ll have a better understanding of your business goals and can offer strategic advice, ensuring that your site evolves alongside your growth. Consider scheduling regular check-ins to discuss performance, identify areas for improvement, and align on future objectives.

Cost and value

When hiring a Magento developer, it's essential to understand the cost structure and ensure you're getting good value for your investment. The cost of hiring a developer can vary based on factors like experience, location, project complexity, and the hiring model.

Key cost factors to consider:

• Experience: More experienced developers typically charge higher rates but bring greater capabilities. Junior developers offer the most affordable rates, while mid-level developers (3-5 years) charge higher due to advanced skills. Senior developers (5+ years) command the highest rates, but their expertise in handling complex tasks efficiently can reduce errors, save time, and lower long-term costs.
• Location: Developer rates differ based on geographical location. Developers from regions with higher living costs, like North America or Western Europe, tend to charge more. In contrast, developers from regions such as Eastern Europe or Asia may offer competitive rates while still delivering high-quality work.
• Job specifics: The complexity and responsibility level of the project also influence costs. Simple Magento store setups will cost less than advanced custom features, integrations, or enterprise-level solutions.
• Certifications: Magento certification levels directly influence development costs. Entry-level certifications, such as Adobe Certified Professional, generally align with lower rates. Developers with Adobe Certified Expert certifications often charge a premium due to their advanced skills in customisation and integrations. Adobe Certified Masters command the highest rates, reflecting their expertise in complex architecture and enterprise-scale solutions. Businesses should consider certification levels alongside experience and project complexity when evaluating cost.
• Developer role: Different roles come with different rates. Front-end developers, who focus on user interface design and experience, generally charge lower rates than back-end developers, who manage server-side logic and integrations. Full-stack developers, skilled in both front-end and back-end tasks, charge a premium for their versatility.
• Hiring options: The hiring model you choose significantly impacts both cost and the level of support you receive. Freelancers typically offer flexibility and lower rates depending on their experience and location (£10 – £200 per hour with total project costs typically £250 – £800), but their availability and commitment may vary. Agencies charge higher rates (around £800 – £80,000 for full projects) due to their comprehensive support, structured project management, and multi-disciplinary expertise. Hiring an in-house developer ensures dedicated, ongoing support tailored to your business needs, though it comes with long-term salary and benefit commitments.

Value vs. cost

While it’s tempting to opt for a cheaper developer, ensure you’re not sacrificing quality. A low-cost developer might cause performance issues or delays that lead to higher costs in the long run. Weigh the value a developer brings—quality work, reliability, and experience—against the cost to ensure you get the best return on investment.

Where to hire Magento developers?

Once you understand what to look for in a Magento developer, the next step is finding the right hiring option. Below are the main hiring models for Magento developers, each with its pros and cons.

Outsourcing

When considering outsourcing for your Magento project, you’ll face the decision between hiring an agency or a freelancer. Each option has distinct pros and cons, so it’s essential to choose based on the specific needs of your business.

Agencies: Full-service solutions

Agencies provide a team of experienced professionals with diverse expertise, making them ideal for complex projects. They offer structured workflows, scalable resources, and comprehensive post-launch support. However, their services come at a higher cost, and you may have less direct communication with individual developers. Agencies are best suited for large businesses or projects requiring extensive customisation, integrations, and ongoing management.

Freelancers: Cost-effective flexibility

Freelancers offer competitive rates and flexible schedules, making them a cost-effective choice for smaller projects or specific tasks. You’ll have direct communication with the developer, ensuring better collaboration. However, working with freelancers can come with potential challenges, such as varying levels of expertise, limited scalability, and possible reliability risks due to their involvement in multiple projects. They are ideal for small businesses, startups, or specific development tasks like theme customisation or bug fixes.

Agency vs. Freelancer

Refer to our blog for an in-depth comparison of Magento Development Agency vs. Freelance Magento Developer.

In-house hiring

Hiring an in-house Magento developer often gives you full control over the development process. In-house developers are ideal if you require continuous updates, customisations, and long-term support. In-house developers are typically more available for ongoing updates, troubleshooting, and maintenance, ensuring your store runs smoothly. With direct oversight, you can make quick adjustments, provide immediate feedback, and align the developer’s work with your company's goals and workflows. Over time, an in-house developer can become deeply familiar with your business processes, potentially leading to better long-term results. However, this approach involves higher upfront costs, a longer recruitment process, and limited scalability for large or urgent projects. In-house hiring is best suited for businesses with long-term development needs, frequent customisations, or complex internal systems.

Outsourcing Magento developer vs. In-house Magento developer

Tips on how to hire a Magento developer

Here are some essential tips on how to hire a Magento developer, ensuring you choose the right candidate for your development needs.

Define your requirements

A well-defined scope helps you identify the right expertise, streamline the hiring process, and prevent misalignment during development. You should start by outlining key objectives, KPIs, and specific needs, such as theme customisation, module development, or third-party integrations. Next, you should craft a detailed Magento development brief outlining these requirements. This approach helps streamline the hiring process, allowing you to evaluate candidates efficiently and filter out unsuitable options. For example, if your project involves complex integrations, specifying the tools and systems involved will help attract developers with relevant experience. By setting clear expectations upfront, you can ensure a smoother hiring process and a successful partnership.

Conduct a skills test

A skills test is one of the most effective ways to evaluate a Magento developer’s abilities. It provides tangible proof of their expertise and allows you to assess their proficiency in critical areas. Here are the key areas to design and implement a comprehensive skills test:

• Magento architecture: To test theoretical understanding, you can provide a multiple-choice questionnaire or short written test covering these aspects. For a practical test, you can ask the candidates to explain how they would set up a custom module or resolve common Magento errors.
• Technical skills: You can test their coding skills by assigning exercises such as writing or debugging a PHP script to fetch and display product data from a MySQL database. Besides, you can also provide a code snippet and ask them to optimise it for better readability, performance, or security.
• Customisation & integration: You can ask developers to customise a Magento theme to match a specific design mockup or to integrate a payment gateway or CRM system and evaluate their implementation.
• Problem-solving: You should present a scenario-based problem, such as optimising page load speed or fixing a checkout bug, then ask developers to outline their approach in a written response or live coding test.
• Practical assessment: Evaluating a developer’s ability to deliver a functional solution within a set timeframe can provide valuable insights into their expertise. For example, you can assign a small project, such as building a custom product filter or creating a reporting module in a fixed period, and evaluate the final output.

Additional tips for conducting skills tests:

• Set clear expectations: Define the scope, timeline, and evaluation criteria for the test.
• Real-world scenarios: Use tasks that reflect the challenges they’ll face in your project.
• Involve your technical team: If you have in-house experts, involve them in designing and evaluating the test.
• Code review: Include a segment where candidates review and suggest improvements to a piece of Magento code. This will demonstrate their understanding of best practices and code quality standards.

Consider a trial period

If the skills test doesn’t provide enough insight, consider offering a trial period. This allows you to test their capabilities on a smaller project before committing to a larger one. Below are key considerations based on the hiring models:

• Outsourcing freelancers or agencies: A two-week trial is usually sufficient to evaluate these developers’ work quality, communication, and responsiveness. You can assign tasks like theme customisation, bug fixing, or third-party integrations. To monitor their progress and assess their problem-solving abilities, you should use project management tools (e.g., Jira, Trello, Asana) and live coding sessions.
• In-house hiring: A longer trial period of one to three months allows you to better assess the in-house developer’s technical skills, company culture fit, and long-term potential. Regular code reviews ensure alignment with coding standards, documentation, and security requirements. You should also observe how well they collaborate with the team, adapt to workflows, and align with your company’s values. Moreover, you should assess their ability to manage multiple tasks, contribute to long-term growth, and stay updated with Magento trends.

Additional tips for a successful trial period:

• Set clear expectations: Define the scope, deliverables, and evaluation criteria for the trial period.
• Offer fair compensation: Paying for the trial period, even if it’s shorter, ensures that candidates remain motivated and view the opportunity seriously.
• Request feedback: Ask the candidate for their feedback on your processes to gauge their communication skills and attention to detail.
• Structured debrief: After the trial, conduct a review session to discuss what went well, what could be improved, and whether the candidate is a good fit for a long-term role.

Establish clear agreements

Setting clear agreements helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures smooth collaboration throughout the project. Here are some key elements to include:

• Scope of work: You should define the project goals, deliverables, and tasks the developer will be responsible for, as well as any exclusions. Asking the developer to break the project into phases with specific deliverables for each stage can make the project more manageable and easier to track. Additionally, you should include a clause for handling scope changes, such as additional fees or timeline adjustments if the scope expands beyond the initial agreement.
• Timeline: Clear milestones and delivery dates need to be established, along with a schedule for regular updates or reviews. The agreement should include penalties for missed deadlines, such as reduced payments or contract termination.
• Payment terms: Determining the pricing model (hourly, milestone-based, or fixed-price) and outlining the payment schedule (e.g., 30% upfront, 40% upon milestone completion, and 30% after final delivery) is critical to maintaining a transparent and fair financial arrangement. Provisions for additional costs, such as overtime, licensing fees, or travel expenses, should also be included to account for unforeseen expenses.
• Revisions: The number of revisions allowed and the process for requesting and approving them must be clearly outlined. You should limit revisions to a reasonable number (e.g., two rounds) to avoid scope creep and require written approval for any changes beyond the agreed scope.
• Confidentiality and security: Clauses to protect sensitive business information, such as customer data, trade secrets, and proprietary processes, need to be included, along with compliance with data security standards like GDPR or PCI DSS. You should require developers to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and include penalties for breaches of confidentiality or data security.
• Termination clause: You should clearly define termination conditions, including missed deadlines, poor performance, or breaches. The agreement needs to specify the notice period, costs, and a clause for partial payment of completed work. Besides, the business should require the developer to hand over all project files, code, and documentation upon termination. Here’s an example of a termination clause: “Either party may terminate this agreement with 14 days’ written notice. In the event of termination, the client will pay for all work completed up to the termination date, and the developer will provide all project files within seven business days.”

Conclusion

Hiring the right Magento developer is a key investment in your eCommerce success. To find the ideal candidate, establish clear evaluation criteria, choose the right hiring model—agency, freelancer, or in-house—and follow best practices, such as defining your requirements, conducting thorough evaluations, and setting clear agreements. This ensures a smooth hiring process and a successful partnership. 

At On Tap, we specialise in delivering tailored Magento development solutions that empower businesses to thrive in the competitive eCommerce landscape, backed by our 19+ years of experience. With a team of proficient Magento experts, we combine technical expertise, industry knowledge, and a client-focused approach to help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re launching a new store, migrating to Magento 2, or optimising your existing store, On Tap is your trusted partner. Get a free consultation today and let our Magento experts find the best solution for your business.