How to hire remote engineers in Latin America, step by step

This guide follows the hiring of a remote engineer in Latin America from the first decision to the first day, for companies in the US and Europe. Each step links to a page with more detail.

The short answer

Define the role and the hours of overlap you need, choose how you will hire (contractor or employer of record), write a specific job post, find candidates, interview for skills and communication, then sign and plan the first weeks. Most of Latin America is within two hours of New York time, so interviews and daily work run on your normal hours.

1. Define the role

Write down the problem the person will own in the first months and the stack they will work in. Then pick the title that matches the work, because titles such as AI engineer or full stack engineer can mean different jobs. The roles we recruit for page describes each one in a line.

2. Choose how you will hire

Without a company in the country, you have two main options: an independent contractor who invoices you, or an employer of record that employs the engineer for you. A contractor fits work with clear deliverables. An employer of record fits a full-time team member who works under your direction. Compare them in contractor or employee in Latin America.

3. Decide the hours you need to overlap

Put the hours in the job post, for example 10:00 to 15:00 New York time, so candidates can check them against their own day. The table in Latin America and US time zones shows each city in US summer and winter.

4. Pick a country or stay open

You can hire anywhere in the region or focus on one country, for example to work with one employer of record contract or one calendar of public holidays. The country guides cover Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

5. Write a job post senior engineers answer

Senior engineers receive many messages and answer the specific ones. Include:

  • the problem the person will own in the first months,
  • your stack, and which parts are set and which are still open,
  • the hours they need to overlap with your team,
  • contractor or full-time, and the pay range,
  • who they will work with and who they report to.

6. Find candidates

Referrals, job boards that reach the region, LinkedIn searches and recruiters all work. Job boards reach people who are looking. Engineers who are not looking need a direct message, or a recruiter who already knows them.

7. Interview for skills and communication

  • A first call about the role and their experience, in English if your team works in English.
  • A technical step close to the real job: a review of code they wrote, a pair programming session or a short take-home task.
  • A conversation about a project they shipped: what broke, what they measured, what they would change.
  • A call with the people they will work with every day.

Each role guide has interview questions you can use, for example for LLM engineers, backend engineers and mobile engineers.

8. Make the offer and sign

Put in writing the pay and its currency, the hours of overlap, paid time off and public holidays, the equipment, and who owns the code. With an employer of record, the platform prepares the local employment contract. With a contractor, use a services agreement that matches how the work will run.

9. Plan the first weeks

  • Accounts and access ready on the first day.
  • A small first task the engineer can ship soon after starting.
  • A teammate they can go to with questions.
  • A check-in at the end of the first month.

Where Boecia Talent fits

Boecia Talent does steps 6 and 7 with you: we find engineers in Latin America and Eastern Europe, speak with each one about the role, and send you a shortlist. You interview, decide and hire the engineer directly or through an employer of record. You pay only if you hire, and a hire who leaves within 90 days is replaced for free.

Questions companies ask

Do I need a company in Latin America to hire there?

No. You can hire a contractor directly or use an employer of record, which employs the engineer for you in their country.

Can I pay a Latin American engineer in US dollars?

A contractor can invoice you in US dollars if you both agree. With an employer of record, payroll usually runs in the local currency.

Do I pay anything if I do not hire?

No. Companies pay Boecia Talent only when they hire someone it introduced. The fee depends on the role and is given in the quote before any work starts, and a hire who leaves within 90 days is replaced for free.

Related guides

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