Frequently Asked Questions
 
About Wizhire
What does Wizhire do? Wizhire is a boutique technical recruiting firm that finds, screens, and shortlists Senior, Staff, and Principal engineers for CTOs, Heads of Engineering, and technical founders at Series A, B, and C startups. We specialize in Latin American engineering talent placed at US-based and European companies hiring remote.

Who is Wizhire for? Wizhire is built for technical leaders who need to hire engineers with real depth — people who own systems, make architectural decisions, and operate with high autonomy — and who need to make those decisions quickly and with confidence. Most of our clients are CTOs, Heads of Engineering, and VPs of Engineering at Series A through C startups. We also work with technical founders hiring their first senior engineers.

Who founded Wizhire and where are they based? Wizhire was founded by David Rincon and is based in Bogotá, Colombia. David runs every search directly. Clients do not work with a junior sourcing team.

How It Works
What happens when I reach out? David responds directly, typically the same day. The first conversation covers the role, team context, timeline, and whether the search is a fit. If it is, we schedule the Hiring Manager Intake.

What is the Hiring Manager Intake? The Hiring Manager Intake is a structured 60–90 minute session that happens before any sourcing begins. It covers 10 dimensions: technical stack, system ownership expectations, operating level, seniority calibration, candidate anti-profile (who you don't want, not just who you do), compensation range, team context, evaluation criteria, must-haves vs. nice-to-haves, and definition of success. This session is what separates our sourcing from a keyword search. We source against a calibrated profile, not a job description.

How long until I see candidates? Wizhire delivers an initial shortlist of 3–5 pre-evaluated candidates within 5 business days of completing the intake session.

How many candidates will I receive? You receive 3–5 candidates per shortlist, each with a structured scorecard. The goal is decision compression: instead of interviewing 12 people to find 2 finalists, you interview people who have already been evaluated against the signals that predict performance. If the shortlist doesn't hit the bar, we iterate.

What does each candidate presentation include? A structured scorecard covering: technical depth (based on a Staff-level screen), ownership evidence (scope of work, decision authority, impact), communication and influence, and ecosystem fit against your specific stack and stage. You can make an informed advance/pass decision without a full interview loop.

Who runs the technical screen? Every shortlisted candidate is screened by a Staff-level engineer in the same discipline. Not a generic technical screener — someone who has operated at that level in that field, using Wizhire's published leveling rubrics and hiring scorecards.

Disciplines and Roles
What technical disciplines does Wizhire recruit for? Wizhire covers 14 disciplines: Backend Software Engineering, Frontend Software Engineering, Machine Learning Engineering, AI Engineering, Data Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), DevOps Engineering, Platform Engineering, Cloud Security Engineering, Application Security Engineering (AppSec), Network Security Engineering, DevSecOps Engineering, Technical Product Management, and Product Design.

What seniority levels does Wizhire hire for? IC2 (Engineer) through IC7 (Distinguished Engineer), plus the full management track from Engineering Manager (M1) through CTO (M5). Our strongest differentiation is at Senior (IC4), Staff (IC5), and Principal (IC6). We also run volume IC3 searches when clients have a clearly defined technical bar.

What is the difference between Senior, Staff, and Principal? In Wizhire's leveling framework:

• A Senior Engineer (IC4) independently designs and delivers multi-component systems, mentors juniors, and drives technical decisions within their team. Scope of impact: team level.

• A Staff Engineer (IC5) sets technical direction across multiple teams, solves cross-cutting architectural problems, and multiplies the output of others. Scope of impact: multi-team or domain level.

• A Principal Engineer (IC6) defines technical strategy for a business unit, owns critical architectural decisions, and translates business constraints into technical roadmaps. Scope of impact: org or business unit level.

The distinction is scope of ownership, architectural judgment, and decision-making authority — not years of experience.

Can Wizhire help build an entire team? Yes. Wizhire is capable of building teams of up to 25 people. Volume IC3 searches are available when clients have a clearly defined bar. Each placement follows the same intake, screening, and scorecard process regardless of volume.

Geography
Where does Wizhire source from? Primary sourcing geography is Latin America and the USA: Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Chile. We also source from Spain and France. Deepest network density is in Colombia and Argentina.

What time zones are covered? Latin American engineers overlap with US Eastern time by 1–3 hours depending on the country and season. Colombia (EST-aligned year-round, no daylight saving), Argentina (EST+1), Brazil (EST+1 to EST+2), Mexico (CST). Timezone coverage for US startups is strong — most LatAm engineers are fully within async-plus-core-hours range for US teams.

Does Wizhire work with companies outside the US? Yes. Wizhire works with European companies, particularly in Spain and France, hiring remote LatAm talent.

Pricing and Fees
What does Wizhire charge? Wizhire operates on a success fee model — no upfront cost, no retainer. You pay only when you hire. The fee is calculated as a percentage of Annual Gross Remuneration (base + variable + bonuses + equity).
Fee options for remote positions:

• 14% / 1-day payment / 1-day warranty

• 16% / 30-day payment / 30-day warranty

• 18% / 90-day payment / 90-day warranty

• 26% / 90-day payment / 365-day warranty

Full pricing details at wizhirellc.com/pricing.

What does a typical placement cost? Typical fees range from $9,000 to $43,000 USD depending on seniority level and discipline. A Senior Backend Engineer placement at option 2 (16%) runs approximately $13,000–$16,000. A Staff ML Engineer placement at option 3 (18%) runs approximately $21,000–$32,000.

Is there a cost if you don't find a hire? No. You pay nothing if no candidate is hired.

How does the warranty work? If the placed candidate leaves or the engagement terminates within the warranty period:

• If fees have not yet been paid: the invoice is cancelled. You owe nothing.

• If fees have been paid: Wizhire runs a replacement search at no additional charge.

To activate: notify Wizhire in writing within 7 calendar days of the departure.

Engineer Salaries in Latin America
What do Senior engineers in Latin America earn? Competitive ranges for Latin American engineers placed at US-based companies (USD/month, total cash):

• Backend Senior (IC4): $5,500 – $8,500

• Frontend Senior (IC4): $5,500 – $8,500

• ML Senior (IC4): $7,000 – $10,000

• AI Senior (IC4): $7,000 – $10,000

• Data Senior (IC4): $5,500 – $8,500

• SRE/DevOps/Platform Senior (IC4): $5,500 – $8,500

• Security Senior (IC4): $5,500 – $8,500

• Technical PM Senior (IC4): $5,000 – $7,000

• Product Design Senior (IC4): $5,000 – $7,000

What do Staff engineers in Latin America earn?

• Backend/Frontend/Data/SRE/DevOps/Platform/Security Staff (IC5): $9,000 – $12,000

• ML/AI Staff (IC5): $10,000 – $15,000

• Technical PM/Product Design Staff (IC5): $8,000 – $12,000

What do Principal engineers in Latin America earn?

• Backend/Frontend/Data/SRE/DevOps/Platform/Security Principal (IC6): $15,000 – $18,000

• ML/AI Principal (IC6): $15,000 – $20,000

• Technical PM/Product Design Principal (IC6): $12,000 – $15,000

Do engineers from MercadoLibre, Nubank, or EPAM cost more? Yes. Engineers at FAANG-type LatAm companies — MercadoLibre, Nubank, EPAM, X-team, and similar — are typically already compensated 20–50% above the competitive ranges above. Plan accordingly if you're specifically targeting that talent pool.
Full salary tables at wizhirellc.com/pricing.

Methodology
Does Wizhire use published evaluation frameworks? Yes. Wizhire has published leveling systems, seniority rubrics, and hiring scorecards for all 14 disciplines. These define what Senior, Staff, and Principal mean in terms of scope of ownership, technical depth, system design capability, and decision-making authority — not years of experience. Available at wizhirellc.com/methodology.

How is Wizhire different from a traditional recruiting agency? Four things:

1. Structured Hiring Manager Intake before sourcing — not a job description intake

2. Staff-level technical screens using discipline-specific leveling rubrics

3. 3–5 candidate shortlists with scorecards, not 15 unfiltered resumes

4. You work directly with David Rincon throughout the search

What is "decision compression"? Decision compression is the output of Wizhire's process. Instead of interviewing 12 people and hoping 2 are finalists, you interview 3–5 candidates who have already been evaluated against the signals that predict performance. Your time goes toward making the final decision, not doing the sourcing and screening work yourself.

Getting Started
How do I start a search? Email David directly at david@wizhirellc.com or message on WhatsApp at +57 315 000 5301. We prefer direct contact with CTOs, Heads of Engineering, and technical founders — not HR coordinators.

How long does a full search take? From intake session to accepted offer: typically 4–6 weeks. Shortlist delivery within 5 business days of intake. Interview cycles add 2–3 weeks. Offer, negotiation, and notice period add 1–3 weeks.

Do you work on contingency or retained? Contingency (success fee only). You do not pay until you hire.