We source, vet, and manage hiring so you can meet qualified candidates in days, not months. Strong English, U.S. time zone overlap, and compliant hiring built in.
.svg){kind=logo}
Move is a programming language designed specifically for writing safe smart contracts and Move bytecode virtual machines. Created at Facebook/Meta and now maintained by the Aptos Foundation, Move enforces resource-oriented semantics and linear type systems to prevent common blockchain vulnerabilities like re-entrancy attacks and asset duplication. For Web3 companies building on Aptos, Sui, or other Move-VM blockchains, Move expertise is critical.
Move is a safe, expressive language for smart contracts and blockchain programming. Unlike Solidity (Ethereum), Move is designed from the ground up for blockchain primitives. Every value is a resource that can only be moved or destroyed, never copied or duplicated. This linear typing system eliminates entire classes of bugs: you cannot accidentally double-spend, lose funds, or create assets from nothing because the type system enforces it at compile time.
Move was created at Meta for the Libra/Diem project and open-sourced as the Move language. It powers Aptos (a mainnet launched in 2022) and Sui (launched in 2023), both major Layer-1 blockchains. Solana, Starknet, and others are exploring Move compatibility. GitHub activity for Move-related projects is growing 30-40% year-over-year. The developer ecosystem is small but densely technical, with serious funding and institutional backing from venture firms and blockchain foundations.
Key differentiators: Move's focus on safety means fewer hacks and exploits. Teams using Move report shipping code with higher confidence because the type system catches vulnerabilities before deployment. This is different from Solidity, where developers must rely heavily on formal verification and audits to catch bugs. For projects where security is non-negotiable (financial dApps, cross-chain bridges, asset custody), Move is the premium choice.
Adoption is accelerating in 2025-2026. Aptos and Sui networks are offering developer grants and funding to teams building on Move. Major exchanges and fintech companies are exploring Move-based infrastructure. If you're building Web3 financial products, cross-chain liquidity protocols, or decentralized exchanges, Move talent is a strategic hire.
Hire a Move developer when your team is building smart contracts or blockchain infrastructure on Aptos, Sui, or other Move-VM networks. Common scenarios: writing decentralized finance (DeFi) contracts, building NFT platforms, creating cross-chain bridges, or developing Layer-2 solutions. Move is also used for on-chain governance, token distribution systems, and escrow contracts.
Move is not the right choice if you're building on Ethereum exclusively. For Ethereum, you need Solidity engineers. Move is not a general-purpose language; it's specialized for blockchain. It's also not suitable for teams without blockchain domain knowledge or Web3 experience.
Ideal team composition: pair a Move developer with protocol architects who understand blockchain consensus, cryptography, and DeFi mechanics. Move developers need collaborators who can translate financial and game-theoretic requirements into smart contract logic. Product managers familiar with blockchain design patterns are also valuable.
Contract maturity matters. Move is younger than Solidity but more mature than many alternatives. If you're shipping on Aptos or Sui today, you're betting on these networks' growth. South matches developers who have shipped production contracts, understand economic models, and can think like protocol designers, not just coders.
Typical project timelines: 3-12 months depending on contract complexity. Smart contract development is slower than traditional software because testing, auditing, and mainnet deployment require rigor. Budget for thorough testing and external audits.
A strong Move hire needs three things: (1) deep blockchain or Solidity experience to understand Web3 fundamentals, (2) comfort with functional and resource-oriented programming paradigms (this is different from OOP), and (3) demonstrable shipping experience (live contracts on mainnet, ideally audited). Move is too specialized to hire purely on language syntax; you need developers who understand the blockchain ecosystem.
Red flags: developers who claim Move expertise without blockchain experience. They don't understand the domain. Also avoid developers focused only on Solidity; Ethereum expertise alone doesn't transfer well to Move's resource model. Look for people who are interested in programming language design and financial protocols, not just cryptocurrency speculation.
Junior (1-2 years blockchain): Has shipped simple contracts on Ethereum or another chain. Understands smart contract security basics (reentrancy, overflow). Learning Move and writing simple money movement contracts. Likely transitioning from Solidity.
Mid-level (3-5 years blockchain, 1-2 years Move): Has designed and shipped complex DeFi contracts. Understands Move's resource model deeply and uses it to prevent bugs. Can audit contracts written by others and mentor juniors on Move semantics.
Senior (5+ years blockchain, 2+ years Move): Has architected multi-contract protocols. Understands token economics, incentive structures, and cross-contract interactions. Can design systems that are both efficient and gas-optimized. Contributes to Move language discussions.
Soft skills: remote work in distributed blockchain teams is standard. You need developers who are security-conscious, can write clear documentation, and understand the stakes (live code with real money). Good communicators who can explain contract logic to non-developers.
1. Tell us about a live smart contract you've shipped (on any blockchain). What was the purpose, and what security concerns did you address in your design? Listen for specificity: real deployments, security thinking, and handling of edge cases. Strong answer mentions audits or rigorous testing.
2. You're building a DeFi protocol where users deposit collateral and borrow stablecoins. Walk us through how you'd structure the Move contracts to prevent asset loss or double-spending. Good answer uses Move's resource model as a safety feature. Excellent answer includes specific handling of liquidations, slashing, and multi-signature controls.
3. Explain Move's resource model and how it's different from traditional OOP. Give a concrete example of a vulnerability this prevents.** Should understand linear typing, move semantics, and ability model. Strong answer: reentrancy and double-spending are compile-time impossibilities in Move, unlike Solidity.
4. Tell us about a time you had to debug a Move or Solidity contract in production (or testnet). What was the issue, and how did you fix it? Listen for debugging methodology, understanding of blockchain-specific issues (gas optimization, state consistency), and how they prevented similar issues in the future.
5. How do you approach contract testing and auditing? What's your process for ensuring a contract is safe before mainnet deployment? Should mention: unit tests, integration tests, formal verification if applicable, and engagement with auditors. Strong answer includes specific tools (Move's test framework, proof assistants).
1. In Move, explain the difference between copy and move semantics for resources. When would you use each, and what are the security implications? Correct answer: resources are move-only (linear typing) because they represent assets; non-resource types can be copied. This prevents accidental duplication of money. Great answer discusses ability markers and custom types.
2. Write a Move smart contract function that handles a simple token transfer with fee collection. Explain how you'd ensure the fee-taker cannot steal funds.** Evaluate: Do they understand Move's resource semantics? Can they write safe value transfers? Do they use type safety to prevent bugs? Strong answer shows how the compiler prevents fee theft.
3. How would you design a multi-token swap contract (like Uniswap) in Move? What are the key differences from Solidity? Should discuss: atomic swaps, flash loans (or why Move prevents them), composability vs. reentrancy protection. Good answer explains why Move's model makes certain Solidity exploits impossible.
4. Describe how Move's ability markers work and give an example of when you'd use copy vs. drop vs. store. What happens if you don't mark a type correctly? Should demonstrate deep understanding of Move's type system. Strong answer includes practical examples and compilation errors from incorrect marking.
5. You're integrating a Move contract with Aptos' on-chain governance. How would you structure multi-signature approval and timestamped transactions to prevent replay attacks? Advanced question testing protocol-level thinking. Look for understanding of cryptographic primitives, nonces, and consensus mechanics.
Take-home exercise (5-7 hours): Write a Move smart contract for a simple escrow protocol where two parties can deposit funds, and a third party (arbitrator) releases funds to the winner based on dispute resolution. Requirements: no fund loss, no fee extraction by arbitrator, atomic transfers, and comprehensive tests. Evaluate on: correctness, Move idiomaticity, security thinking, and test coverage. Scoring: complete working escrow with security analysis gets full marks; functional but missing security discussion gets 70%; incomplete or unsafe code gets 30%.
Move is a niche skill with high demand from Web3 companies flush with venture capital. Developers command premium rates, especially those with proven shipping records and audit experience.
LatAm Move Developer Salary (2026):
Comparison to US Rates:
LatAm rates are 35-45% lower than equivalent US salaries for the same experience level. A LatAm mid-level Move developer at $115K is equivalent to a US hire at $170K-220K. Rates are climbing as Aptos and Sui gain adoption. If hiring through South, your all-in rate includes compliance, benefits, and payroll processing.
Web3-specific note: compensation often includes token options or incentives from blockchain foundations. South can facilitate discussions about tokenomics alongside cash salary.
Latin America has emerging but growing blockchain expertise, particularly in Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia. The region has strong engineering talent with Rust and systems programming background (Move's ecosystem is built on Rust). Many LatAm developers are excited about blockchain as a growth opportunity and see Move as a differentiator in the global market.
Time zone overlap: Most LatAm Move developers are UTC-3 to UTC-5, giving 6-8 hours of real-time overlap with US East Coast teams. Blockchain development requires tight coordination on protocol design and mainnet deployments, so synchronous collaboration matters.
Cost efficiency: A senior LatAm Move developer with audited contract experience costs 40-50% less than a US equivalent. Given that Move contracts handle real money, you want experienced developers, and LatAm talent gives you seniority at reasonable cost.
The Move ecosystem in LatAm is nascent but receptive. Aptos and Sui have granted funding to LatAm teams building on their networks. Developers in the region are publishing research on Move security and contributing to open-source Move tooling.
Cultural alignment: LatAm developers tend to approach blockchain with seriousness about security and economic design, not just hype. They're less likely to chase speculative trends and more likely to focus on shipping robust infrastructure.
Hiring a Move developer means finding someone with both blockchain expertise and Move-specific experience. This is a specialized skill, and South's vetting is thorough to ensure you get shipping developers, not just hype-seekers.
Step 1: Share Requirements Tell us about your protocol or dApp. Are you building DeFi, NFT infrastructure, or governance? We'll help clarify what blockchain experience matters most and whether Move or an alternative is the right choice.
Step 2: South Matches from Pre-vetted Network We screen for (1) proven blockchain shipping (contracts on mainnet), (2) Move-specific experience (Aptos, Sui, or Move-VM projects), (3) security consciousness (evidence of audits or formal verification), and (4) protocol design thinking. We prioritize developers who think holistically about incentives and economics, not just code.
Step 3: You Interview South facilitates interviews using our Move-specific questions. We handle scheduling and technical screening so your team talks to genuinely qualified candidates. Most teams make an offer within 1-2 interviews for senior hires.
Step 4: Ongoing Support Once hired, South handles payroll, compliance, and ongoing support. If a hire doesn't work out within 30 days, South replaces them at no cost. This is our replacement guarantee.
Ready to hire? Visit https://www.hireinsouth.com/start and tell us about your Move protocol. We typically have candidates matched within 5-10 days, given the niche skill.
Move is used for writing smart contracts and blockchain infrastructure on Aptos, Sui, and other Move-VM networks. Common use cases: decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cross-chain bridges, on-chain governance, and token distribution systems.
No. Solidity is for Ethereum; Move is for Aptos, Sui, and other Move-VM blockchains. Move's resource model is fundamentally different from Solidity's account model. Move prevents entire classes of bugs through compile-time resource tracking, while Solidity relies on developer diligence and audits.
You'd need a Solidity developer for Ethereum. However, if you're building multi-chain and want to expand to Aptos or Sui, Move expertise is valuable. Some developers have both Solidity and Move experience, though it's rare.
Rust is a general-purpose systems language used for blockchain clients and infrastructure (Solana uses Rust). Move is domain-specific for smart contracts and safer by design. Use Rust for core protocol development; use Move for smart contracts on Move-VM chains.
Mid-level Move developers in LatAm range $90K-140K/year. Senior developers with audited contract experience go $160K-220K/year. Rates reflect scarcity and demand from Web3 funding.
Typically 5-10 days from your initial brief to matched candidate. Move is niche, so we may need to search wider. Interviews usually complete within 1-2 weeks. Full onboarding takes 2-3 weeks. Total time from start to productive is usually 3-4 weeks.
You'll want a senior Move developer who can mentor your team on blockchain design and security best practices. The cost is higher but the knowledge transfer on protocol design is invaluable. Alternatively, start with experienced Solidity developers who are transitioning to Move.
Yes. South matches developers for full-time, part-time, and contract work. For Move projects, part-time is common for audit and code review services. Discuss project scope at https://www.hireinsouth.com/start.
Most are UTC-3 to UTC-5 (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia). This gives 6-8 hours of overlap with US Eastern Time. A few work UTC-6 (Mexico, Central America).
We assess (1) blockchain shipping history (GitHub, live contracts, deployments), (2) Move-specific experience (Aptos, Sui, or Move-VM projects), (3) security thinking (audits, formal verification), and (4) protocol design depth. Vetting includes code review and architecture discussion.
South offers a 30-day replacement guarantee. If a developer doesn't work out, we match you with a replacement at no additional cost.
Yes. We've matched teams of 2-4 developers for full DeFi protocol builds. We match for both blockchain depth and Move expertise and ensure team cohesion. Team hires take 2-3 weeks to match.
