Novartis needed a team in four countries. Not four legal entities.
The frontend work at Jiri's department is done by contractors in Turkey, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Novartis has never opened an entity for any of them. EliteBrains holds the contracts, collects the timesheets and runs the payments - his team just approves the month.
- 4 countries in one team
- 0 entities opened
- 1 approval per month
- 2021 first contract, still running
Finding the people was never the hard part
Jiri knew what he needed and roughly where the right people were. What he did not want was the machinery that normally comes with hiring them - a Novartis entity in Turkey to employ one engineer, another arrangement for Germany, something else again for Slovakia.
The alternatives were not much better. Contracting each person directly means four sets of local rules to get right, four invoicing habits to chase, and a classification question that gets heavier the longer someone stays. Going through a local agency in every country means a new vendor, a new contract and a new invoice for each one.
So the engagement was set up the other way round. EliteBrains contracts the people; Novartis contracts EliteBrains.
How the engagement is set up
Three moving parts, and only the last one needs anything from Jiri's team.
EliteBrains signs the contractors
Each contractor signs with EliteBrains under the rules of the country they actually work from. Novartis signs one agreement, with us. No local entity, no separate vendor per country.
The team logs hours in one admin
Contractors submit their timesheets in the same place, whichever country they are in. Jiri's team sees the whole month on one screen instead of in four inboxes.
One approval, one payment run
Approved hours are paid out to all four countries by EliteBrains. Novartis gets a single invoice and never touches a foreign payment.
What the month looks like
Every contractor on the engagement, wherever they sit, in one view. Approve, and the payment run does the rest.
Approved hours are paid in one run. Novartis receives a single invoice.
Approve and payIllustrative view of the EliteBrains admin.
Four countries, four sets of rules
The differences do not disappear. They just stop being Novartis's problem.
Turkey
Outside the EU, with its own documentation and its own payout route.
Germany
The strictest view on contractor status of the four, and the reason the wording of a contract matters here.
Czech Republic
Self-employed contractors invoicing on local terms.
Slovakia
Similar setup to the Czech side, different tax and social system underneath.
EliteBrains provided us with a top frontend developer who has been working for us for more than 4 years. Johny became indispensable part of our team within few weeks.
Who does what
Novartis kept everything that is actually about the work, and handed over everything that is about the paperwork.
Stays with Jiri's team
- Deciding who joins the team
- Setting the work and the priorities
- Reviewing and approving hours each month
Handled by EliteBrains
- Contracts in each country, on local terms
- Timesheet collection and the record behind it
- Payments to all four countries
- Contractor status, so a long engagement stays a contract
- One invoice and one point of contact for the whole team
The same setup, for your team
Contractor of Record
We become the contracting party, so you can work with people in countries where you have no entity.
Contractor management
Contracts, timesheets and approvals for your whole contractor base in one admin.
Misclassification risk check
Nine questions on one typical contractor, and a read on how exposed you are.
Contractors in more than one country?
Tell us where they sit and how many there are. We will show you what the contracts and the monthly run would look like.
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By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyWhy use EliteBrains
- Verify skills before you commit Assess candidates upfront and make decisions based on real ability, not just CVs.
- Simple, structured contracts Create and manage contractor agreements without legal confusion or endless back-and-forth.
- Clear payments and tracking Keep full visibility over work, approvals, and payments in one streamlined flow.
- Everything in one place From skill checks to contracts and payouts, manage your contractors without scattered tools.
“With EliteBrains, we streamlined contracts, approvals, and payments into one simple workflow.”