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Hire AI Developers and ML Engineers in Latin America

NBS sends US companies a shortlist of AI/ML engineers from Latin America who have passed an English assessment and a role-specific technical work sample. You'll interview your first candidates within 3 business days of the intake call.

  • Python
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • RAG
  • MLOps
  • Agentic AI

You choose who to hire. Replacements within 90 days are free.

“Since starting with them, we've hired a backend developer, a full-stack engineer, IT Support, a BDR, and a Project Owner.”

Sabrina Smith, Head of HR, Compliancy Group
  • 3 business days

    to your first candidates

  • 2 hours

    maximum gap with US Eastern time

  • 90 days

    free replacement guarantee

Why hire nearshore AI developers through NBS

US companies hire remote AI developers from LatAm through NBS.

  • Fast to interview

    • Specialist roles close in under two weeks
    • Standard roles place within 30 days
    • A dedicated sourcer and scheduler supports every search.
  • We vet candidates before you meet them

    • We review resumes and portfolios, then assess a role-specific technical work sample.
    • We conduct behavioral interviews and check references and backgrounds.
  • Lower cost than US rates

    • Senior engineer salaries run 40 to 60 percent below US rates.
    • Mid-level roles save 50 to 70 percent.
    • Direct hire placements carry a one-time fee, and nearshore staff augmentation runs on a fixed monthly fee.
  • We recruit locally in all 12 countries

    • We recruit directly from LatAm universities and bootcamps.
    • We compare local salaries and negotiate offers.
  • 4 stages

    of vetting before you meet anyone

  • B2+

    English level, CEFR assessed

  • 12 markets

    with Employer of Record coverage

  • Under 2%

    replacement rate

What clients say about NBS

Clients who hired in Latin America with us.

  • Since starting with them, we've hired a backend developer, a full-stack engineer, IT Support, a BDR, and a Project Owner. Each one has been a strong cultural and technical fit.

    Sabrina SmithSabrina SmithHead of HR, Compliancy Group
  • We partnered with Nearshore to execute a project in Costa Rica. They were fast, reliable, and proactive with their follow-up - helping us build a team of 21 engineers in just a few weeks.

    Craig DempseyCraig DempseyCEO, Biz Latin Hub
  • We needed to fill a Customer Success role quickly, and Nearshore delivered. Within three days of signing the MSA, we had a strong list of candidates - complete with video presentations - and hired the right fit just five days later.

    Ian McCaigIan McCaigCEO, FiiT

Quote 1 of 3

55%

average savings vs comparable US hires on this engagement

Case study: AI consulting firm

How We Helped an AI Consulting Firm Build a High-Performance Machine Learning Team in Latin America

Stacks we recruit for

Every candidate completes a role-specific technical work sample before you meet them.

  • Python

    AI developers use Python to build data pipelines, training code and model APIs for production applications.

  • PyTorch and TensorFlow

    AI/ML engineers use PyTorch and TensorFlow to develop training loops, tune models and measure model performance.

  • LLMs and RAG

    LLM engineers build RAG pipelines that search vector databases and supply relevant context to model prompts.

  • Agentic AI

    AI engineers build Agentic AI systems that call tools, retain state and coordinate multi-step workflows.

  • MLOps

    MLOps engineers automate model releases, track experiments and detect model drift in production.

  • Cloud ML platforms

    Machine learning engineers run training and inference workloads on managed ML services from AWS, Google Cloud and Azure.

Machine learning engineer salary in Latin America

These are typical monthly salary costs for machine learning engineers in Latin America.

  • Junior

    $3,565 to $4,460

    per month in Latin America

    Junior AI developers prepare training data, test model outputs and connect model APIs under senior guidance.

  • Mid

    $5,015 to $6,130

    per month in Latin America

    Mid-level AI developers train, evaluate and deploy models, then monitor them in production.

  • Senior

    $6,690 to $8,360

    per month in Latin America

    Senior AI developers design AI systems, choose model architectures, mentor engineers and resolve production model issues.

Machine learning engineer salary in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil

Monthly pay in US dollars by seniority in each country
CountryJuniorMidSenior
Mexico$3,375 to $4,220$4,750 to $5,800$6,330 to $7,915
Colombia$3,800 to $4,750$5,345 to $6,535$7,130 to $8,910
Argentina$3,680 to $4,600$5,175 to $6,325$6,900 to $8,625
Brazil$3,410 to $4,260$4,790 to $5,855$6,390 to $7,990

These are the developers' monthly pay. NBS quotes its fee on the intake call.

How hiring works

You move from intake call to first day in four steps.

  1. Intake call

    You share the role, stack, seniority and budget.

  2. First candidates in 3 business days

    NBS sends vetted profiles for you to interview.

  3. You interview

    You interview candidates and choose your hire.

  4. Offer and start

    NBS negotiates the offer and helps you handle local labor law and payroll.

Your hire has a 90‑day guarantee

  • We replace your hire free within 90 days if it does not work out.
  • We check in at 30, 60, and 90 days.
  • A dedicated account manager manages the relationship.

Four ways to hire AI developers

Payroll, labor law and Employer of Record support NBS helps you handle local labor law compliance, payroll and Employer of Record coverage for nearshore staff augmentation.

Tell us the stack. A dedicated sourcer and scheduler starts the search.

Four-stage vetting and a B2+ English check before you meet anyone.

Tell us who you're hiring

Send the form, then pick a time for your intake call on the next page.

Start your AI search

You pick a call time on the next page.

What happens next

  1. Book an intake call on the next page

  2. Tell us the stack, seniority and budget on the call

  3. Your first vetted candidates are ready to interview within 3 business days of the call. You choose your hire.

“In just a few days, we were interviewing strong candidates…”

Nick Smyth, Founder, Nexus

AI developers in 12 Latin American countries

NBS has local recruiters in 12 markets across Latin America, from Mexico and Central America to Brazil and the rest of South America. All 12 are within 2 hours of US Eastern time.

  • UTC-6

    2 hours behind US Eastern from mid-March to early November, 1 hour behind from early November to mid-March

  • UTC-5

    1 hour behind US Eastern from mid-March to early November, level from early November to mid-March

  • UTC-4 or UTC-3

    Level with US Eastern from early April to early September, 1 hour ahead from early September to early November and from mid-March to early April, 2 hours ahead from early November to mid-March

  • UTC-3

    1 hour ahead of US Eastern from mid-March to early November, 2 hours ahead from early November to mid-March

Our guide to time zones in South America lists each country's UTC offset and daylight saving status.

Questions about hiring AI developers

Answers on hiring steps, cost, countries, time zones, payroll and the guarantee.

How do I hire AI and machine learning engineers in Latin America?

Fill out the form, and on the intake call you describe the models or AI features your engineer will build, the data and infrastructure they'll work with, the seniority you need and your budget. NBS screens each candidate's resume and portfolio, tests English at a B2-or-higher CEFR level, sets a technical work sample for the AI/ML role and runs a behavioral interview with reference and background checks. You interview your first candidates within 3 business days of the intake call and choose your hire.

How much does an AI/ML engineer cost in Latin America compared with the US?

Senior AI/ML engineers in Latin America cost 40 to 60 percent below US rates, and mid-level roles save 50 to 70 percent. A direct hire placement carries a one-time fee, and nearshore staff augmentation runs on a fixed monthly fee that covers employment, payroll, benefits, compliance and monthly invoicing. NBS quotes its fee on the intake call. The 2026 Latin America Salary Report breaks salaries down by role, country and seniority.

Should I hire nearshore or offshore AI and machine learning engineers?

Hire nearshore when your AI/ML engineer needs to work live with your US team. All 12 NBS countries sit within 2 hours of US Eastern time, while common offshore locations such as India or the Philippines run about 9.5 to 13 hours ahead, so a nearshore engineer can review a drifting model's metrics with your data team at 2 p.m. Eastern and retrain it that afternoon. NBS replaces a hire free within 90 days if the hire does not work out.

What do nearshore AI and machine learning engineers do?

Nearshore AI/ML engineers build and maintain your models, LLM features and ML pipelines from Latin America as part of your US team during US hours. The engineer joins your standups, works through a model integration live with your product engineers and fixes a broken pipeline or a bad retrieval result on the day your team reports it.

Which countries can I hire AI developers from?

You can hire from 12 LatAm countries: Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua in North and Central America, and Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in South America. NBS has local recruiters in each, and each country has a hiring guide on this site.

Can I hire through staff augmentation or an employer of record?

Yes, NBS offers nearshore staff augmentation for a fixed monthly fee and Employer of Record coverage in all 12 markets. It also offers direct hire placements with a one-time fee and Recruitment as a Service for high-volume hiring teams.

How much do AI developers in Latin America earn?

The typical monthly salary for mid-level AI developers in Latin America is $5,015 to $6,130. The typical range is $3,565 to $4,460 for junior developers and $6,690 to $8,360 for senior developers. NBS quotes its fee on the intake call.

Which AI stacks can you cover?

NBS recruits AI developers who work with Python, PyTorch and TensorFlow, LLMs and RAG, Agentic AI, MLOps and cloud ML platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud and Azure.

How fast can I interview candidates?

Interview your first candidates within 3 business days of the intake call.

Do the developers work US hours?

Yes, developers work US hours. All 12 countries sit within 2 hours of US Eastern time all year.

Mexico City and Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua) run 2 hours behind US Eastern during US daylight time and 1 hour behind the rest of the year. Colombia, Peru and Ecuador run 1 hour behind during US daylight time and level with US Eastern the rest of the year.

Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil (Brasília time) run 1 hour ahead during US daylight time and 2 hours ahead the rest of the year. Mainland Chile also changes its clocks: it runs level with US Eastern from early April to early September, 1 hour ahead in the weeks around that, and 2 hours ahead from early November to mid-March.

Can I hire LLM engineers in Latin America?

Yes, you can hire LLM engineers in Latin America through NBS. NBS recruits in 12 countries, applies its four-stage vetting process and sends first candidates for interview within 3 business days of the intake call.

What is the difference between an AI engineer and a machine learning engineer?

An AI engineer usually builds product features that use models, while a machine learning engineer usually develops and operates the models. Companies may need to hire AI engineers and machine learning engineers together when a product requires model development and product integration, while one engineer may cover both skill sets.

Who handles payroll and labor law compliance?

NBS helps you handle local labor law compliance and payroll. As Employer of Record for nearshore staff augmentation, NBS covers employment, payroll, benefits, compliance and monthly invoicing. Employer of Record coverage spans all 12 markets.

What if a hire does not work out?

NBS replaces your hire free within 90 days if the hire does not work out, and the replacement rate is under 2 percent. A dedicated account manager manages the relationship, and NBS checks in at 30, 60, and 90 days.

Start hiring AI developers in Latin America

Tell us the AI role, stack and seniority you need, and we'll have your first candidates ready for interview within 3 business days of the intake call.

Your dedicated account manager checks in at 30, 60, and 90 days.