As the U.S. faces a shortage of over 1 million developers, companies are increasingly turning to global hiring solutions.
With 80% of tech leaders boosting investment in distributed teams, the shift toward remote engineering is accelerating.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to recruit global talent, navigate challenges, and scale your software team through top regions like Latin America.
Why Companies Are Building Global Engineering Teams
Going global with your engineering team offers more than cost savings. It’s a strategic move that gives you access to top-tier developers, scalable solutions, and seamless time zone collaboration.
Access to Large, High-Quality Talent Pools
Building global engineering teams enables you to access experts otherwise unavailable to your business. Technical skills – especially in specialized languages or technologies – can be limited if you stay local. Outsourcing tech talent solves this problem by offering large pools of top-skilled professionals.
Cost-Efficiency
Cost remains a major sticking point for tech hiring. North American companies continue to face rising salary costs at a local level, leading them to look elsewhere to keep their budgets affordable. Choosing global software teams in locations such as Latin American can cut costs by up to 40-50% for the same caliber of talent.
Time Zone Advantages
Creating new, high-quality software products relies on successfully using the agile method. When your global software teams are located nearshore, ideally in overlapping time zones, it’s easy to set up real-time collaborative agile processes (i.e. daily stand-ups, feedback sessions, peer-to-peer programs, etc.).
Cultural & Language Compatibility
Distributed software teams simplify the integration process by having cultural affinity with U.S. workplace expectations. In addition, these top-tier engineers often have strong English, so that you can set up close-knit, collaborative teams.
Team Scalability
Unlike in-house hiring, building global engineering teams gives you full flexibility to scale. You have the opportunity to modify hours, add new experts and/or change project directions with minimal friction. This level of scalability is ideal for large-scale or long-term builds where flexibility helps optimize your resources and achieve your best-case vision.
Key Challenges in Building Global Teams
Despite the benefits, global tech hiring comes with risks. Here are key challenges to address when outsourcing tech talent.
Time Zone Misalignment
Distributed global teams in opposite time zones may struggle to keep up agile practices such as rapid iterations, regular feedback and ongoing communication. That’s why choosing a nearshore location with shared workday hours can minimize friction.
Communication & Cultural Gaps
Unifying your distributed software team across unique cultures can be difficult. Take your time selecting the right partner who aligns with your communication style and workplace expectations from the start.
Quality Control
Quality is another potential pitfall when outsourcing. When hiring, pay close attention to developers’ skill sets and past projects. You can also establish high quality by setting standards early and giving regular feedback to ensure compliance.
Security & Workflow Management
Building global engineering teams means professionals will collaborate from their own workstations, which may have differing levels of security. Be sure to use secure tools, define IP in your contracts and outline company security policies so that your developers safeguard your business — wherever they are in the world.
Best Practices for Managing Global Engineering Teams
Managing distributed tech talent comes with unique challenges. Luckily, you can reduce risks and strengthen your teams through best practices.
- Establish clear communication norms. Creating an atmosphere of transparency is ideal for bringing together global software teams and ensuring everybody’s well-equipped to communicate regularly and openly.
- Undertake cultural onboarding and inclusion practices. Encourage teams to integrate by showing interest and respect for cultural differences. At the same time, robust onboarding can help developers from different backgrounds understand expectations.
- Use productivity tools. Platforms such as Jira, Slack and Notion can enable distributed global teams to work more efficiently virtually and set ongoing objectives for productive, results-driven work.
- Set up synchronous vs. asynchronous workflows. Cross-border tech hiring involves knowing when to collaborate in real-time and when to let your developers get work done under their ideal conditions. Stay flexible by harnessing both synchronous and asynchronous workflows, so your teams can make the most of their time.
Overall, successfully managing global engineering teams relies on building trust. Avoid micromanaging and try to cultivate proactive autonomy and teamwork.
Regions to Consider When Building Your Global Team
LatAm offers the best blend of affordability, talent quality, and time zone alignment for U.S. companies.
As you assemble top-notch global software teams, think carefully about your outsourcing destination. Every region has its strengths for setting up scalable, distributed tech teams, especially Eastern Europe, South Asia and Latin America.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a superb region for IT outsourcing, known for its well-educated and English-savvy tech talent.
Pros
- High talent quality
- EU protections for IP and labor
- Excellent English
Cons
- Mid-range rates may be higher than other regions
- Little time zone overlap with the U.S.
South Asia
South Asia has some of the largest talent pools and lowest developer rates worldwide, giving you lots of options for setting up distributed tech teams.
Pros
- Low-cost rates
- Large talent pools
Cons
- Talent quality can be hit-or-miss
- No time zone overlap with the U.S.
- Low English proficiency and wider cultural gap
- Security and IP may lag compared to other regions
Latin America
Latin America strikes the sweet spot of having outstanding talent at affordable rates, while also enabling frictionless teaming via shared time zones and cultural proximity.
Pros
- World-class talent quality
- All-day time zone overlap
- Affordable rates
- Great English
- Culturally attuned to U.S. workplace
- Potential for in-person visits (depending on proximity)
Cons
- Little time zone overlap with Europe
At TECLA, we act as a bridge between U.S. companies and top-tier tech professionals in LatAm. If you're considering building global engineering teams in an aligned region like Latin America, nearshoring with us may be a strong fit.
Why LatAm Is a Strategic Region for U.S.-Based Companies
There are close to two million software engineers working in Latin America today. Here’s why you should strategically consider this region for successfully outsourcing tech talent.
Strong STEM Skills & Education
Latin American talent is known for their robust STEM skills and education, as well as world-record number of tech graduates. Many countries in this region have top technical universities that appear on the U.S. News & Report ranking of Best Global Universities. At the same time, governments are investing in software skills programs that prepare youth for tech careers.
High English Proficiency
LatAm has a solid level of English, with several countries listed as high or moderate on the English Proficiency Index. Argentina, Uruguay and Costa Rica take the top spots, though software engineers across LatAm tend to have excellent English regardless of country of origin.
Culturally Attuned to the U.S.
Engineers from Latin America are well-versed in U.S. workplace expectations, including deadlines, communication styles and quality standards. Given this high level of cultural affinity, it’s seamless to set up an engineering team structure with LatAm professionals.
Minimal Time Zone Difference
Latin American countries boast of significant workday overlap with the U.S., enabling minimal disruptions for global software teams. Professionals from this region are known for their ease of collaboration, as you can hold daily stand-ups, schedule real-time feedback sessions and get rapid responses to inquiries with shared time zones.
Competitive Rates
Finally, Latin America has competitive rates that are 40-50% lower than U.S. pros, offering the ideal balance between cost and talent quality. Most importantly, you’ll get top value, as developers here are high-caliber, senior and specialized.
Scaling a Remote Team: A Month-by-Month Playbook
Scaling your engineering team globally doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll need to grow it through strategic remote software team management that focuses on deeply integrating your developers.
1. Start Small, Scale Fast
Instead of going from zero to sixty with your team, start small. Hire a few core distributed pros that you trust and continually hone your processes until the team works seamlessly. Once you’ve established a solid starting group, you can rapidly scale the engineering team globally.
2. Prioritize Documentation & Agile Delivery
It’s vital to prioritize your team policies and processes, enabling your developers to thrive. By having robust documentation, you can align expectations from day 1 and refine ongoing agile processes for greater efficiency and product quality.
3. Partner With Experienced Hiring Networks or Platforms
Your IT partner can “make or break” your ability to assemble a high-performing distributed engineering team. Be sure to select a partner – like us at TECLA! – with deep experience in your preferred outsourcing destination and a track record of getting results for top brands.
Our clients say it best:
"The fact that TECLA put us in front of really high-quality and fitting candidates almost immediately was outstanding." -Ours Wellness
4. Set Up a Feedback Loop With Engineers & Managers
The foundation of successfully building global engineering teams is feedback. Don’t be afraid to look for ways to improve your workflows, teaming practices and product quality. Set up ongoing feedback loops both up and down your organization to ensure you’re getting the full picture of your team challenges.
Building Global Engineering Teams With TECLA
Ready to set up a winning outsourced tech team? With our in-depth guide to building global engineering teams, you can adeptly navigate the challenges, incorporate best practices and take advantage of key regions such as LatAm.
At TECLA, we understand your need for a high-value team that’s cohesive and well-connected. We source our entire network of 50,000+ elite developers from Latin America, allowing businesses everywhere to gain skilled pros who are culturally attuned, time zone aligned and ready to seamlessly collaborate.
Get in touch with TECLA to explore your global hiring strategy today!
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