Pricing & Engineer Salary Ranges
No retainer. No upfront cost. You pay only when you hire.

How Wizhire's Fees Work
Wizhire charges a success fee calculated as a percentage of the candidate's Annual Gross Remuneration — the total annual compensation including base salary, variable pay, bonuses, and stock options.

Formula: Annual Gross Remuneration × Fee Rate = Service Fee

You select the fee option at the time of hire, not at the start of the search. Each option trades fee rate against payment timeline and warranty length.

Fee Options — 100% Remote Positions
Option     |   Fee Rate   |        Payment Due       |   Warranty Period
Option 1   |        14%      |       1 day after hire      |   1 day
Option 2  |        16%      |    30 days after hire    |   30 days
Option 3  |        18%      |    90 days after hire    |   90 days
Option 4  |       26%      |    90 days after hire    |   365 days

Option 4 is designed for clients who want maximum protection. If the hire doesn't work out within 12 months for any reason, Wizhire runs a replacement search at no additional charge.

Adjustments

• Hybrid position (candidate required in-office some days): +2% on top of selected rate

• On-site position (full-time in-office): +4% on top of selected rate

• Technically vetted candidates (Wizhire runs the technical screen): +5% on top of selected rate

What "Annual Gross Remuneration" Includes
The fee base includes all financial components of the offer:

• Fixed base salary (annualized)

• Variable salary (average expected annual variable pay; if unknown, the maximum potential variable pay is used)

• Performance bonuses

• Signing bonuses

• Stock options (if applicable)

For fully remote LatAm roles, most placements are base + bonus only, no equity. The fee base for those placements is straightforward.

Typical Fee Range Per Placement
$9,000 – $43,000 USD depending on seniority level and discipline.

Illustrative examples:

• A Senior Backend Engineer (IC4) at $7,000/month → ~$84,000 annual → $12,000–$15,000 fee depending on option selected

• A Staff ML Engineer (IC5) at $12,000/month → ~$144,000 annual → $20,000–$26,000 fee depending on option selected

• A Principal AI Engineer (IC6) at $18,000/month → ~$216,000 annual → $30,000–$39,000 fee depending on option selected

How the Warranty Works
If the hire leaves during the warranty period and you haven't paid the fee yet: The invoice is cancelled. You owe nothing.
If the hire leaves during the warranty period after you've paid: Wizhire runs a replacement search at no additional charge.
To activate the warranty: notify Wizhire in writing within 7 calendar days of the candidate's departure.

Latin American Engineer Salary Ranges
The following ranges reflect competitive total cash compensation for Latin American professionals placed at US-based companies. These are the ranges Wizhire uses for calibration during the Hiring Manager Intake. Equity is not included.

All figures in USD/month.

Note on FAANG-type candidates: Engineers currently employed at FAANG companies (Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft) or LatAm equivalents (MercadoLibre, Nubank, EPAM, X-team, etc.) typically earn 20–50% above the competitive ranges below. Plan compensation accordingly when targeting these profiles.

Backend Software Engineering
Level            |                          Title                            |         USD/Month
IC2               |                Engineer (Backend)             |     $2,000 – $4,000
IC3               |     Semi Senior Engineer (Backend)   |     $4,000 – $5,500
IC4               |        Senior Engineer (Backend)         |     $5,500 – $8,500
IC5               |          Staff Engineer (Backend)          |     $9,000 – $12,000
IC6               |      Principal Engineer (Backend)        |    $15,000 – $18,000
IC7               |   Distinguished Engineer (Backend)   |    $22,000+
M1                |     Engineering Manager (Backend)     |    $5,500 – $8,500
M2               |  Sr. Engineering Manager (Backend)   |    $9,000 – $12,000
M3               |   Director of Engineering (Backend)    |   $15,000 – $18,000
M4               |       VP of Engineering (Backend)         |   $22,000+

Frontend Software Engineering
Level            |                           Title                            |         USD/Month
IC2               |                Engineer (Frontend)             |     $2,000 – $4,000
IC3               |     Semi Senior Engineer (Frontend)   |     $4,000 – $5,500
IC4               |        Senior Engineer (Frontend)         |     $5,500 – $8,500
IC5               |          Staff Engineer (Frontend)          |     $9,000 – $12,000
IC6               |      Principal Engineer (Frontend)        |    $15,000 – $18,000
IC7               |   Distinguished Engineer (Frontend)   |    $22,000+
M1                |     Engineering Manager (Frontend)     |    $5,500 – $8,500

Machine Learning Engineering
Level            |                          Title                            |         USD/Month
IC2               |                     ML Engineer                    |     $2,000 – $4,000
IC3               |          Semi Senior Engineer (ML)       |     $4,000 – $6,000
IC4               |             Senior Engineer (ML)             |     $7,000 – $10,000
IC5               |               Staff Engineer (ML)              |     $10,000 – $15,000
IC6               |          Principal Engineer (ML)            |    $15,000 – $20,000
IC7               |       Distinguished Engineer (ML)       |    $22,000+
M1                |         Engineering Manager (ML)         |    $7,000 – $10,000
M2               |      Sr. Engineering Manager (ML)       |    $10,000 – $15,000

AI Engineering
Level            |                          Title                            |         USD/Month
IC2               |                      AI Engineer                    |     $2,000 – $4,000
IC3               |            Semi Senior AI Engineer         |     $4,000 – $6,000
IC4               |                Senior AI Engineer              |     $7,000 – $10,000
IC5               |                 Staff AI Engineer                |     $10,000 – $15,000
IC6               |             Principal AI Engineer             |    $15,000 – $20,000
IC7               |          Distinguished AI Engineer        |    $22,000+
M1                |           Engineering Manager (AI)        |    $7,000 – $10,000
M2               |        Sr. Engineering Manager (AI)      |    $10,000 – $15,000

Data Engineering
Level            |                          Title                            |         USD/Month
IC2               |                     Data Engineer                 |     $2,000 – $4,000
IC3               |          Semi Senior Data Engineer       |     $4,000 – $5,500
IC4               |               Senior Data Engineer           |     $5,500 – $8,500
IC5               |                 Staff Data Engineer            |     $9,000 – $12,000
IC6               |             Principal Data Engineer          |    $15,000 – $18,000
IC7               |        Distinguished Data Engineer       |    $22,000+
M1                |         Engineering Manager (Data)       |    $5,500 – $8,500
M2               |      Sr. Engineering Manager (Data)     |    $9,000 – $12,000
M3               |       Director of Engineering (Data)     |   $15,000 – $18,000
M4               |            VP of Engineering (Data)         |   $22,000+

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) / DevOps Engineering / Platform Engineering
Level            |                                       Title                                     |         USD/Month
IC2               |                Engineer (SRE/DevOps/Platform)             |     $2,000 – $4,000
IC3               |     Semi Senior Engineer (SRE/DevOps/Platform)   |     $4,000 – $5,500
IC4               |        Senior Engineer (SRE/DevOps/Platform)         |     $5,500 – $8,500
IC5               |          Staff Engineer (SRE/DevOps/Platform)          |     $9,000 – $12,000
IC6               |      Principal Engineer (SRE/DevOps/Platform)        |    $15,000 – $18,000
IC7               |   Distinguished Engineer (SRE/DevOps/Platform)   |    $22,000+
M1                |     Engineering Manager (SRE/DevOps/Platform)     |    $5,500 – $8,500
M2               |  Sr. Engineering Manager (SRE/DevOps/Platform)   |    $9,000 – $12,000
M3               |   Director of Engineering (SRE/DevOps/Platform)    |   $15,000 – $18,000
M4               |       VP of Engineering (SRE/DevOps/Platform)         |   $22,000+

Security Engineering (Cloud Security, AppSec, Network Security, DevSecOps)
All security disciplines share the same competitive salary ranges.
Level                                             |         USD/Month
IC2                                                |         $2,000 – $4,000
IC3 (Semi Senior)                        |         $4,000 – $5,500
IC4 (Senior)                                 |         $5,500 – $8,500
IC5 (Staff)                                    |         $9,000 – $12,000
IC6 (Principal)                              |         $15,000 – $18,000
IC7 (Distinguished)                      |         $22,000+
M1 (Engineering Manager)           |         $5,500 – $8,500
M2 (Sr. Engineering Manager)      |        $9,000 – $12,000
M3 (Director of Engineering)       |        $15,000 – $18,000
M4 (VP of Engineering/CISO)       |        $22,000+
Note: AppSec IC3 caps at $5,500 (vs. $5,500 for cloud/network security). Security specialists with niche certifications (OSCP, CISSP, CISM) and production incident response history command premiums at Senior+.

Technical Product Management
Level            |                                       Title                                     |         USD/Month
IC2               |                   Product Manager (Technical)                |      $1,500 – $2,500
IC3               |                    Semi Senior PM (Technical)                  |      $3,000 – $4,000
IC4               |                        Senior PM (Technical)                       |      $5,000 – $7,000
IC5               |                         Staff PM (Technical)                         |      $8,000 – $12,000
IC6               |                     Principal PM (Technical)                       |      $12,000 – $15,000
IC7               |                  Distinguished PM (Technical)                  |      $18,000+
M1                |                     Group Product Manager                        |      $7,000 – $10,000

Product Design
Level            |                                       Title                                     |         USD/Month
IC2               |                           Product Designer                           |        $1,500 – $2,500
IC3               |                Semi Senior Product Designer                 |        $3,000 – $4,000
IC4               |                      Senior Product Designer                     |       $5,000 – $7,000
IC5               |                        Staff Product Designer                      |       $8,000 – $12,000
IC6               |                     Principal Product Designer                  |       $12,000 – $15,000
IC7               |                Distinguished Product Designer                |      $18,000+
M1                |                              Design Manager                            |      $5,000 – $7,000

About These Salary Ranges
These figures are derived from Wizhire's internal hiring frameworks — the same leveling rubrics and scorecards used in every search. They reflect competitive total cash compensation (base + variable + bonuses) for Latin American professionals with the technical profile described in Wizhire's discipline frameworks, placed at US-based companies. They are not median market data from aggregated job postings.

Three factors push a specific offer above or below the range:

1. Source company: Engineers coming from MercadoLibre, Nubank, EPAM, X-team have already been competitively compensated. Expect to pay 20–50% above the competitive range to move them.

2. Stack specificity: A Senior Backend Engineer with deep Rust or Go production experience in a high-performance trading system commands more than one with the same title in a standard web application.

3. Management add-on: The same person managing a team of 5 + contributing individually at IC4 is worth a material premium in most searches.

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Talk to David directly at david@wizhirellc.com or on WhatsApp at +57 315 000 5301.