Build an offshore development center in Turkey with 360 Soft, an Istanbul-based software company. An offshore development center (ODC) is a dedicated engineering unit that works only on your products, follows your processes and grows with your roadmap, while we handle recruitment, contracts, workplace, equipment, HR and day-to-day administration in Turkey. You get the focus of an in-house team without opening a legal entity abroad. 360 Soft builds and runs teams from a handful of engineers up to 200+ people.
This guide explains what an ODC in Turkey actually involves: who it suits, how the setup runs week by week, which roles and technologies are typical, how pricing is built, how it compares with freelancers, in-house hiring and other regions, and which contractual and data protection safeguards you should expect. If you only need one or two engineers, our hire developers in Turkey page is the better starting point.
What an offshore development center is (and what it is not)
An ODC is a long-term, dedicated team. The engineers are recruited for your product, they sit in your Slack or Teams, attend your stand-ups and commit code to your repositories. Over months they accumulate product knowledge the same way an internal team does. The difference is the employment and operations layer: the people are employed and managed administratively by 360 Soft in Turkey, and you buy their work under a B2B service contract.
An ODC is not a body shop that rotates people between clients, and it is not a fixed-scope project where a vendor disappears after go-live. It is also not a subsidiary: you do not need a Turkish company, a local director, payroll registration or an office lease. If you later want those things, the ODC can be structured so that the team can transfer to your own entity (see “Build-operate-transfer” below).
Who typically needs an ODC
- Scale-ups in the UK, EU and US whose roadmap has outgrown local hiring capacity, and who struggle to fill senior mobile, backend or DevOps roles at home within a reasonable time.
- Enterprises and corporate IT that need a stable second delivery hub for maintenance, modernisation, testing or 24/5 support, with clear reporting into an existing PMO.
- Software vendors and SaaS companies that want a product team with long-term ownership of a module, rather than a revolving set of contractors.
- Companies in the Gulf and wider Middle East that want engineering talent in a nearby time zone with cultural familiarity and easy travel.
Pains an ODC is designed to solve
- Hiring cycles at home that take months for each senior role, slowing the roadmap.
- High fully-loaded cost of local engineers once salary, benefits, recruiting fees, office and churn are counted.
- Freelancer networks that are fast to start but hard to keep aligned, documented and secure over years.
- Offshore vendors in distant time zones where every question waits a day for an answer.
- Knowledge that walks out of the door because outsourced people are rotated between clients.
Why Turkey for an offshore or nearshore development center
Turkey sits between Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, and that geography shapes how an ODC here works day to day. For a fuller country overview, see why Turkey and our page on nearshore software development in Turkey.
- Working hours overlap with Europe and the Gulf. Istanbul is on a fixed UTC+3 offset all year. In practice that means a large shared working window with London, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam, and almost a full overlap with Dubai, Riyadh and Doha. Stand-ups, sprint reviews and incident calls happen in normal business hours for both sides.
- Workable overlap with the US East Coast. A Turkish team can cover the US morning with a shifted schedule for a few roles, and hand over at the end of its day, which suits follow-the-sun support and overnight test runs.
- A short flight from most European capitals and from the Gulf, so on-site kick-offs, workshops and quarterly planning visits are practical rather than an expedition.
- A deep engineering talent pool fed by many technical universities and a mature local tech scene in e-commerce, banking, fintech, gaming, telecom and defence.
- Engineers experienced with enterprise, fintech and mobile products, who are used to working in English with international product owners and to following regulated-industry practices.
- Competitive cost structure compared with Western Europe, the UK and the US, without moving into a distant time zone.
We deliberately do not quote country-wide salary statistics or “percentage savings” here. Market figures change quickly and depend heavily on role, seniority and city; we prefer to give you a written quote for your exact team.
How we build your center
The setup follows five phases. Durations below are typical for a team of moderate size and depend on the roles, seniority and how quickly interviews and approvals happen on your side.
| Phase | What happens | Your involvement | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery | Goals, roles, seniority mix, tech stack, security requirements, reporting lines, working hours and tooling are agreed. We produce a team blueprint and a written quote. | Workshops with product, engineering and security leads | 1–2 weeks |
| 2. Core team | Team leads, architects and a delivery manager are hired first so that standards, onboarding material and the definition of done exist before the team scales. | Interview and approve every core hire | 3–6 weeks |
| 3. Scale in waves | Engineers, QA and DevOps join in small cohorts. Each cohort is onboarded by the core team, not thrown at your backlog. | Approve every hire; join final interviews | Ongoing, often 2–4 weeks per wave |
| 4. Run | Sprints, weekly KPIs, code quality and security reviews, monthly service reviews, retention and career planning. | Product direction, backlog priorities, sprint reviews | Continuous |
| 5. Flex or transfer | Scale up or down with agreed notice periods, or optionally move people onto your own payroll or entity. | Decide on scaling and transfer options | As agreed in contract |
A typical first 90 days
- Weeks 1–2: discovery workshops, team blueprint, security questionnaire, contract and data processing agreement.
- Weeks 2–6: sourcing and interviews for the core team; access provisioning, laptops and secure workspace prepared.
- Weeks 4–8: core team onboards, ships first small changes, writes onboarding guides and coding standards with your engineers.
- Weeks 6–12: first scaling wave joins; KPIs baseline; first monthly service review and retrospective with your leadership.
These timelines are typical, not guaranteed. Rare skills, very senior architects or strict security clearance can extend them; a smaller ODC built on common stacks can move faster.
Roles and team composition
Most ODCs start with a small cross-functional core and grow around it. The table below shows the roles we staff most often and what each one owns.
| Role | Main responsibilities | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery manager / engineering manager | Capacity planning, hiring plan, risk log, reporting, people management on the Turkish side | From day one in every ODC |
| Tech lead / solution architect | Architecture decisions, code review standards, technical onboarding, alignment with your CTO | From day one; one per product area |
| Backend developers | APIs, services, data models, integrations (Node.js, Java,.NET, Python, Go, PHP) | Core of most product teams |
| Frontend developers | Web apps and admin panels (React, Angular, Vue, Next.js) | When the product has a web interface |
| Mobile developers | iOS, Android, Flutter and React Native apps | Consumer and field-workforce products |
| QA engineers (manual and automation) | Test strategy, regression suites, test automation, release sign-off | From the first scaling wave |
| DevOps / SRE | CI/CD, infrastructure as code, cloud cost, monitoring, on-call | Once there is more than one service in production |
| Data engineers and analysts | Pipelines, warehouses, reporting, data quality | Data-heavy and analytics products |
| UI/UX designers | Research, flows, design systems, prototypes | When product discovery is part of scope |
| IT support and service desk | L1/L2 support, user administration, endpoint management | Corporate IT and internal tools |
Seniority mix
A healthy ODC is not all seniors and not all juniors. We usually recommend a pyramid: a small number of leads and seniors who own decisions and review code, a broad base of mid-level engineers who carry most of the delivery, and a few juniors who are mentored and grow into the product. The right mix depends on how mature your codebase is and how much autonomy you expect.
| Level | Typical profile | Autonomy |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | Solid fundamentals, limited production experience | Works on well-defined tasks with review |
| Mid-level | Several years of production work in the stack | Owns features end to end with light guidance |
| Senior | Deep stack knowledge, designs components, mentors others | Owns modules, makes technical trade-offs |
| Lead / architect | Cross-team design, standards, stakeholder communication | Owns architecture and technical direction |
Technology stack we cover
| Area | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Mobile | Swift, SwiftUI, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Flutter, React Native |
| Backend | Node.js, NestJS, Java and Spring Boot,.NET, Python, Go, PHP and Laravel |
| Frontend | React, Next.js, Angular, Vue, TypeScript |
| Data | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, Kafka |
| Cloud and DevOps | AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins |
| QA | Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, Appium, Postman, k6, JMeter |
| Enterprise | SAP integration, ERP and CRM integrations, identity and access management |
For mobile-specific teams, see our Flutter, React Native, iOS and Android pages; for backend teams, see Node.js developers.
Engagement models: is an ODC the right one?
| Model | Who leads the work | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Staff augmentation | You manage individual engineers inside your team | Filling a few gaps quickly |
| Dedicated team | You set priorities; we provide a full team with a delivery manager | A product or module with a long roadmap |
| Offshore development center | Joint governance; we run operations, hiring and HR at scale | Several teams, a long-term second engineering hub |
| Managed service | We own outcomes against SLAs | Maintenance, support, testing, operations |
| Project-based delivery | We own a defined scope and acceptance criteria | Clear, bounded projects |
If you need a single product team rather than a center, read hire a dedicated software development team. For broader outsourcing options, see IT outsourcing services and software outsourcing company in Turkey.
Build-operate-transfer (BOT)
Some clients want to own their Turkish team eventually. In a build-operate-transfer arrangement we build and run the center first, and once you are ready, the team and its knowledge can move to your own entity under terms agreed upfront in the contract (timing, transfer fee if any, and how employment changes are handled under Turkish law). This gives you a running team quickly and a clear path to full ownership.
How we vet engineers
- Role scorecard: we agree with you what “good” looks like for each role: must-have skills, nice-to-have skills, seniority signals and soft skills.
- Screening: CV and portfolio review, a short call on experience, English level and motivation for a long-term product role.
- Technical interview: stack-specific questions and a discussion of real past work, led by a senior engineer.
- Practical exercise: a focused take-home or live coding/system design session, sized so strong candidates are not put off.
- Client interview: you meet shortlisted candidates and have the final say. Nobody joins your ODC without your approval.
- Background and reference checks as allowed by law and agreed in the contract.
Governance, SLAs and KPIs
An ODC needs the same governance as an internal department. We agree the metrics up front and report them in a weekly dashboard and a monthly service review.
| Area | Example KPI or commitment | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Sprint goal completion, lead time for changes, deployment frequency | Weekly |
| Quality | Escaped defects, test coverage trend, code review turnaround | Weekly |
| Reliability | Incident response time and time to restore for supported services | Per incident / monthly |
| Hiring | Time to present shortlist, time to start, offer acceptance | Per role |
| People | Retention, engagement, training plans | Quarterly |
| Security | Access reviews, policy acknowledgements, vulnerability remediation times | Monthly |
Targets are set per client based on your baseline and the type of work; we do not apply generic numbers.
What drives the price of an ODC
We do not publish rates, because a meaningful price depends on the exact team. Instead, here is what moves the number, so you can compare quotes on equal terms. Our app development cost guide covers project-based pricing in more detail.
| Factor | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Seniority mix | More leads and seniors raise the blended monthly cost; a healthy pyramid keeps it balanced |
| Technology and scarcity | Niche skills (for example certain cloud, data or native mobile specialisms) cost more than common stacks |
| Team size and duration | Larger, longer commitments allow better planning and usually better terms |
| Working hours | Extended overlap, shifted schedules or on-call duties add cost |
| Workplace and security | Dedicated secure rooms, client-provided hardware, clean-desk or isolated networks add cost |
| Management layer | Delivery manager, Scrum master and QA lead are priced separately or blended in |
| Pricing model | Monthly per person (man-month), hourly time-and-materials, fixed price per scope, or outcome-based fees tied to SLAs |
Most ODCs are billed monthly per team member (a man-month model) with a transparent breakdown. Hourly time-and-materials suits variable workloads; fixed price suits well-specified projects; outcome-based pricing suits managed services with measurable SLAs.
ODC vs freelancers vs in-house vs other regions
| Criterion | In-house at home | Freelancers | ODC in Turkey | Far-offshore vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first hire | Often slow for senior roles | Fast | Moderate; core team in weeks | Moderate |
| Time zone overlap with Europe | Full | Varies | Large daily overlap | Small or none |
| Long-term product knowledge | High | Low to moderate | High (dedicated team) | Varies; rotation risk |
| Management overhead | High (HR, legal, office) | High (coordination) | Shared; we run operations | Moderate |
| Scalability | Slow | Fragmented | Planned waves | Good |
| IP and security control | Direct | Contract by contract | Single contract with IP assignment and DPA | Depends on vendor |
| Cost level | Highest | Variable | Competitive | Lower, with coordination costs |
Freelancers are useful for short, isolated tasks. In-house hiring is right for your most strategic leadership roles. An ODC sits between them: dedicated people with continuity, without building a foreign company. Compared with far-offshore regions, Turkey trades some headline cost difference for much better overlap with European and Gulf working hours, which usually matters more in agile teams.
Contracting model, IP and data protection
You contract with 360 Soft under a B2B service agreement. The engineers are employed by 360 Soft in Turkey; you buy their services, so you do not become an employer in Turkey and do not need a local entity. Key points we put in writing:
- IP assignment: all code, documentation and other work product created for you is assigned to you, with employee and contractor IP flowing through 360 Soft to your company.
- Confidentiality: a mutual NDA before discovery, plus individual confidentiality undertakings from every team member.
- GDPR: where we process personal data on your behalf, we sign a data processing agreement (DPA). For transfers from the EU/EEA or UK to Turkey, Standard Contractual Clauses (or the UK addendum/IDTA) are used, supported by a transfer risk assessment.
- KVKK: Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 6698) applies to processing in Turkey; we align our processes with both KVKK and GDPR requirements.
- Security: least-privilege access to your systems, SSO and MFA, encrypted and managed devices, access reviews, offboarding checklists, and the option to work only inside your own environments (VDI, your cloud accounts, your repositories).
- Exit and transfer: notice periods, knowledge transfer obligations and BOT terms are defined from the start.
Risks and how we mitigate them
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Attrition and knowledge loss | Career plans, fair compensation reviews, pair programming, documentation as part of done, planned backups for key roles |
| Team drifting from your culture | Shared ceremonies, regular on-site visits, your engineers as mentors in the first months |
| Quality below expectations | Agreed definition of done, code review rules, automated tests and CI gates, monthly quality review |
| Hidden cost growth | Approved headcount plan, transparent monthly invoicing, no hire without your sign-off |
| Security and data exposure | Least-privilege access, client-controlled environments, DPA and SCCs, regular access reviews |
| Vendor lock-in | IP assignment, your repositories and tooling, BOT or transfer option |
ODC partner selection checklist
- Can you interview and approve every engineer before they join?
- Are the engineers dedicated to you full time, with no rotation to other clients?
- Is IP assignment explicit, and does it cover employees and subcontractors?
- Will the vendor sign a DPA and SCCs, and explain how KVKK and GDPR are handled?
- Is there a named delivery manager accountable for hiring, retention and reporting?
- Are KPIs, reporting cadence and service reviews defined in the contract?
- Are scaling, notice periods and a transfer/BOT option written down?
- Can the team work inside your tools, cloud accounts and security controls?
Experience
Our enterprise work includes IT outsourcing for TurkStream and projects for the Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries (OSTİM cluster), Memorial Healthcare Group and iddaa.com. Learn more about 360 Soft, or explore business process outsourcing in Turkey if you also need non-engineering operations.
Frequently asked questions
What is an offshore development center in Turkey?
It is a dedicated engineering team in Turkey that works only on your products. 360 Soft handles recruitment, employment, workplace and administration, while you direct priorities and the product roadmap.
Do I need to open a company in Turkey?
No. You sign a B2B service agreement with 360 Soft. The engineers are employed by us, so you do not need a local entity, payroll registration or office lease.
How long does it take to set up an ODC?
Typically, discovery takes one to two weeks and the core team three to six weeks, after which the team grows in waves. Rare skills or strict security requirements can extend this.
What is the minimum team size?
There is no fixed minimum. Many centers start with a small core of a lead and a few engineers and grow once processes are stable. For one or two people, staff augmentation is usually a better fit.
Do I approve every hire?
Yes. You receive shortlisted profiles, interview candidates and give the final approval. Nobody joins your team without your sign-off.
How much overlap is there with European working hours?
Istanbul is on UTC+3 all year, which gives a large shared working day with the UK and continental Europe and almost full overlap with the Gulf. Shifted schedules can extend overlap with the US East Coast.
Who owns the code and intellectual property?
You do. The contract assigns all work product created for you to your company, and every team member signs confidentiality and IP undertakings.
How is GDPR handled when data is accessed from Turkey?
We sign a data processing agreement and use Standard Contractual Clauses (or the UK equivalent) for transfers, supported by a transfer risk assessment. We also comply with Turkey’s KVKK.
How is an ODC priced?
Usually per team member per month, based on role, seniority, technology, working hours and security setup. Hourly, fixed-price and outcome-based models are also available. We send a written quote after discovery.
Can we scale the team up or down?
Yes. Scaling up happens in planned waves, and scaling down follows the notice periods agreed in the contract.
Can the team later move to our own entity?
Yes. In a build-operate-transfer arrangement, the team can transfer to your own company under terms agreed upfront.
How is an ODC different from a dedicated team?
A dedicated team is usually one product team. An ODC is a longer-term hub that can contain several teams, shared roles such as DevOps and QA, and its own governance and hiring pipeline.
Talk to us about your offshore development center
Share the roles, team size and timeline you have in mind, and we will come back with a team blueprint and a written quote. Use our contact page, call +90 850 335 10 87 or email info@360-soft.com. 360 Soft, Nidakule Ataşehir, Istanbul.
Planning a team in Turkey? Tell us the roles and team size; we will send a setup plan and a written quote. WhatsApp · info@360-soft.com
