How We Hire for R&D at GTAF

At Greentech Apps Foundation (GTAF), our Research & Development (R&D) team plays a critical role in shaping the future of Islamic tech. Over the past year, we’ve explored various approaches to hiring for this team—balancing transparency, speed, and alignment with our mission.

Recent Hiring Journey

When a key team member from our R&D unit, received an exciting opportunity at a US-based AI startup, we began looking for a replacement. Our first instinct wasn’t to post publicly, but to reach into our extended circles—asking for recommendations, reviewing referrals, and even revisiting promising applicants from previous rounds.

This phase led to several interviews, including strong candidates who came highly recommended by existing team members and friends of the organisation. While we found talented individuals with excellent research skills and Islamic alignment, the unique nature of our work—blending deep research with fast-paced software engineering—meant that not every strong profile was the right fit.

After several interview rounds, we ultimately chose to pause the hiring process and reassess our team’s structure and priorities. Rather than rushing to fill the role, we felt it would be more strategic to upskill an existing team member for the specific skillset required. Alhamdulillah, only time will tell how effective this decision proves to be, but we believe investing in someone who already understands our culture and mission is more valuable than starting from scratch with a new hire.

Our Preferred Approach

We’ve learned a lot from this process. Going forward, our preference is clear:

• Referrals & Trusted Circles: We value hiring through trusted connections. These individuals tend to be more aligned with our culture, mission, and pace of work.
• Internship-to-Hire: We also love the internship route—bringing in early talent, training them within our frameworks, and then offering full-time roles to those who demonstrate impact, initiative, and values alignment.
• Selective Job Postings: While we do post jobs publicly when needed, we’re cautious about overwhelming volume. When we do go public, we include filtering questions that reveal genuine interest and prevent AI-generated applications.

Final Thoughts

Our hiring process is not just about filling roles—it’s about building a team that shares our purpose: to bring Muslims closer to Allah ﷻ through technology. If you’re interested in future R&D roles or internships, feel free to reach out through someone in our network or follow us on LinkedIn and gtaf.org/career-volunteer for updates.

We’re always looking for people who care deeply, work sincerely, and think boldly.