A US startup needed a senior Android engineer to rebuild its app. It had a tight budget and little time. Within 2–3 weeks, Rad Hires helped it hire a senior engineer in Argentina for $8.7k a month, about half the cost of a comparable US hire. The engineer rebuilt the app’s interface, made it faster and more stable, and helped lift its ratings.
Editor’s note: Some clients prefer not to be named, so we’ve left out the company’s name and changed the engineer’s details for privacy.
At a glance
- Client: a US startup that helps people manage and grow their careers
- Role: Senior Android Engineer
- Hired from: Argentina
- Time to hire: 2–3 weeks
- Shortlist: 7 candidates presented, 4 interviewed
- Engagement: Talent On-Demand (flexible, fully managed)
- Cost: $8.7k a month, about half the cost of a full-time US equivalent
The challenge
The startup’s Android app needed a major overhaul. It had to move to Jetpack Compose, Android’s modern UI framework, and users were running into crashes and slow screens. The company needed a senior engineer who could lead the architecture work, not just take tickets.
Two constraints made this hard. The budget was tight, and a senior Android engineer in the US was out of reach. The timeline was short too, so a long search wasn’t an option.
How Rad Hires found the right engineer
After a kickoff call to understand the app, the team and the budget, our recruiters searched our network across Latin America. We screened candidates for Android depth, architecture experience, communication and fit, then presented a shortlist of 7 senior engineers.
The client interviewed 4 of them and chose an engineer based in Argentina, whose working hours overlapped closely with the US workday. The whole process took 2–3 weeks.
Because the client used Talent On-Demand, Rad Hires handled the employment side. That let the startup add a senior engineer quickly without setting up hiring in another country.
Who they hired
The engineer brought close to ten years of Android experience, with deep knowledge of Android architecture, user interface development, and finding and fixing performance problems. As Senior Android Engineer, they:
- Re-architected the app to use Jetpack Compose
- Resolved critical issues affecting users
- Designed new features alongside the product team
- Found and fixed performance problems
- Guided and mentored the other Android engineers
The results
- Jetpack Compose rebuild completed. The app moved to Android’s modern UI framework, making future features easier to build.
- A faster app. Screens loaded and responded more quickly.
- Fewer crashes. The app became noticeably more stable for users.
- Better ratings. App store ratings improved after the changes.
- About half the cost. The startup paid $8.7k a month, roughly half what a comparable full-time US engineer would cost.
Why it worked
- Senior talent within budget. Hiring in Latin America made a senior engineer affordable for an early-stage company.
- Speed. A ready shortlist meant the client went from kickoff to hire in 2–3 weeks.
- Same working hours. Argentina is 1–2 hours ahead of New York, so the engineer worked in step with the US team.
- Less admin. Talent On-Demand kept the arrangement simple and flexible.
Need to hire a senior engineer like this?
Rad Hires recruits senior developers across Latin America for US startups. Most clients hire in 2–4 weeks for 40–60% less than a comparable US hire, and every hire comes with a 90-day replacement guarantee.
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