You need someone to run your projects.
Someone who can coordinate teams, keep timelines on track, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Latin America has that talent. But hiring a remote project manager here isn’t just about posting a job and picking the best resume.
Let me show you what actually works.
Skills to Look for When Hiring a LATAM Project Manager
Communication skills come first
Your PM needs to write clearly in English. Daily status updates, risk reports, stakeholder emails. All of it needs to be clear and professional.
They also need to speak confidently in meetings. Video calls with clients, team standups, cross-functional syncs.
Test this directly. Don’t just ask if they speak English.
Have them record a video response explaining how they’d handle a delayed project. You’ll know immediately if their communication works for you.
Stakeholder management experience
A good PM doesn’t just track tasks. They manage expectations, negotiate scope changes, and keep everyone aligned.
Ask candidates: “Tell me about a time you had to push back on a stakeholder request. How did you handle it?”
Look for answers that show diplomacy, clear reasoning, and the ability to say no professionally.
Tool proficiency that matches your stack
If you use Jira, they need to know Jira. Not just “I’ve heard of it” but actual working knowledge.
Ask them to walk you through how they’d set up a project board for your type of work. Have them explain their approach to task assignment, sprint planning, or backlog grooming.
Same goes for communication tools. If your team lives in Slack, your PM needs to be comfortable managing conversations, threads, and notifications there.
Risk identification and problem-solving
Projects go sideways. Good PMs spot problems early and fix them before they blow up.
Give candidates a scenario: “You’re three weeks into a six-week project. Two key team members just told you they’re overloaded and can’t hit their deadlines. What do you do?”
Strong answers include asking clarifying questions, identifying root causes, exploring options (rescope, add resources, extend timeline), and thinking about how to communicate changes to stakeholders.
Weak answers jump straight to “I’d work harder” or blame the team.
Process creation and documentation
Your PM should be able to look at chaos and create systems.
Ask: “Walk me through how you’d onboard a new team member to a project that’s already in progress.”
Good PMs talk about documentation, process templates, knowledge bases, and handoff protocols. They think in systems, not just individual tasks.
What to Check in Their Portfolio and Experience
Look for projects similar to yours in complexity
If you need someone to manage software development, find candidates who’ve run dev projects. If it’s marketing campaigns, look for marketing PM experience.
The number of years matters less than the relevance of the work.
Check for remote work experience specifically
Managing remote teams is different from managing in-person teams. Your PM needs to have done this before.
Ask: “What tools and processes did you use to keep remote teams aligned?”
You want to hear about async communication, documentation practices, regular check-ins, and how they handled timezone differences.
Team size and project scope
If you’re hiring someone to manage a three-person project, you don’t need someone who’s only managed 50-person programs. And vice versa.
Match the candidate’s experience level to what you actually need them to do.
Look at their work samples
Ask to see a project plan they created. A status report they sent. A risk register they maintained.
These artifacts tell you more about their actual work than any interview answer.
Do they document clearly? Is their thinking organized? Can you understand what they did and why?
Setting Up Your New PM for Success
Give them context from day one
Share past project documentation. Show them how you’ve run projects before, what worked, what didn’t.
Introduce them to everyone they’ll work with immediately. Don’t make them figure out who’s who over three weeks.
Give them full access to all tools on day one. Jira, Slack, Google Drive, whatever you use. Waiting for access wastes everyone’s time.
Set clear communication expectations
Write down exactly what you expect:
Daily status updates by 10am your time in Slack Weekly detailed progress report every Friday Immediate heads-up if anything is at risk of missing deadline Available for calls between 9am-12pm Eastern
Don’t assume they’ll figure this out. Be explicit from the start.
Define their decision-making authority
Tell them exactly what they can decide without asking you:
“You can reassign tasks, adjust timelines within the sprint, and say no to scope creep. If a change affects budget or delivery date by more than two days, loop me in first.”
This clarity helps them take ownership while respecting your role as final decision-maker.
Managing Them Day-to-Day
Use async communication as your default
Your PM should give you written updates in your project management tool. You read and respond when it works for your schedule.
Save video calls for things that actually need discussion: big decisions, brainstorming, relationship-building.
This respects timezone differences and gives everyone space to think before responding.
Weekly sync calls keep you aligned
Even with great async communication, schedule a weekly video call.
Review what happened last week, what’s coming next week, and what obstacles they’re facing.
This is also where you build relationship. Talk about how they’re doing, what support they need, what’s working and what isn’t.
Let them actually manage
Don’t override their decisions in front of the team. Don’t micromanage their task assignments.
If you disagree with something, talk to them privately. Then back their final call publicly.
Latin American work culture respects hierarchy. When you give your PM clear authority and support it consistently, they’ll use it well.
Create space for honest feedback
In many Latin American work environments, people hesitate to challenge authority or give critical feedback upward.
Make it safe. In your 1-on-1s, explicitly ask: “What’s not working?” and “What am I not seeing?”
Run retrospectives after projects where the whole team discusses what went wrong, not just what went right.
Make feedback part of the process, not a personality requirement.
Keeping Good PMs Around
Pay them fairly
Rates for experienced Latin American PMs with certifications and strong English aren’t rock-bottom cheap.
Don’t lowball people who have the skills you need. Good PMs have options.
Invest in their growth
Offer to pay for certifications like PMP or advanced Scrum training.
Include them in strategy discussions, not just execution work. Show them how their projects connect to company goals.
Give them opportunities to take on bigger projects or mentor junior team members as they prove themselves.
Latin American professionals value development and career growth. Show them a path forward and they’ll stick around.
Make payments smooth and reliable
Use platforms with built-in time tracking and payment systems. When invoices get paid on time every time, it builds trust.
Integration with payment systems like Wise makes international payments fast and predictable for both of you.
Nothing kills motivation faster than payment friction and delays.
Treat them like the professionals they are
Learn a bit about their country. Recognize major holidays. Ask how things are going in their specific context.
You’re not hiring a “cheap resource.” You’re hiring a skilled professional who happens to live in a different country.
That difference in perspective shows up in how people work with you long-term.
Ready to Find Your Next Great Hire?
Join our growing community of employers and start connecting with skilled candidates in Latin America.