The narrative that remote work is over is contradicted by data: remote days still account for about a quarter of US paid workdays as of 2025. While a White House memorandum pulled federal employees back to the office full time in January 2025, private companies largely did not follow suit. In late 2024, fewer than half of US workers said they would accept a full return to the office. This persistence of remote work, combined with a tight labor market for senior engineers, is driving more US startups to hire remote developers from Latin America.
Acendeo, a US-incorporated nearshore staff augmentation company, has been placing senior Latin American engineers with US companies for years. The firm staffs senior software engineers, designers, and technical specialists across software development, data, AI, QA, cybersecurity, and UI/UX design. Its clients range from SaaS startups to established enterprises. Every engineer is senior and works remotely from Latin America during US hours.
The demand for senior engineers is not slowing down. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developer employment is projected to grow 16% between 2024 and 2034—more than five times the average for all occupations. About 129,200 roles are expected to open each year, driven by AI, the Internet of Things, and automation. However, the strain is most acute at the senior level, where the pipeline is thin and pay is steep. The top 10% of US developers earn above $211,450 in base salary, and total packages at the largest tech firms climb well beyond that. Startups rarely win those bidding wars.
Acendeo's model addresses this challenge by offering senior talent at rates 30 to 40% below a comparable fully loaded US hire. Engineers can be embedded within client teams within 10 days, with no lengthy master agreement and no exclusivity. There is no upfront recruiting fee, and because Acendeo is US-incorporated, clients contract under US law, reducing exposure to severance and labor claims in the Latin American countries where the engineers are based. After the first 30 days, a client can request a replacement at no cost.
“The demand for Senior Engineers is not slowing down. A growing company cannot pay what the giants pay. That does not mean lowering the bar. It means hiring the same caliber where the math works,” said Brad Webb, Co-founder and CTO of Acendeo. Nelso Villamizar, VP of Strategic Operations, added, “Trust and speed decide this business. The client wants to hire abroad and keep the relationship under US law. Get that structure right, and it lasts years.”
For startups facing the question of how to hire senior software engineers they cannot outbid MAANG for, nearshore hiring offers a viable path. Companies curious about how the model fits their stack, timeline, and budget can set up an intro conversation at acendeo.com/contact/. Learn more at acendeo.com.
