Junior Software Engineer

Weekday AI; Oregon; Remote; USD 207,000 - 276,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Job summary

First Roles is seeking a Junior Software Engineer for a remote contractor role focused on evaluating AI-generated code and creating challenging programming problems. You will develop reference solutions and test cases, review AI models’ reasoning on architecture and debugging, and provide detailed feedback to improve code quality and model performance.

The role requires strong fundamentals, 1+ year of software engineering experience, and the ability to work independently with clear written

Qualifications

• At least one year of professional software engineer experience.
• Strong fundamentals in programming, data structures, and algorithms.
• Experience writing, debugging, testing, and reviewing code.
• Familiarity with version control, code reviews, testing, and debugging.

Responsibilities

• AI-Generated Code Evaluation: review AI-generated code for correctness and quality.
• Coding Problem Development: design challenging programming problems and test cases.
• Reference Solution Creation: develop accurate reference solutions.
• Test Case Development: create comprehensive test cases to validate functionality.
• Technical Reasoning Assessment: evaluate reasoning on architecture, design, debugging.
• Code Quality Analysis: identify bugs, inefficiencies, and security concerns.
• Technical Feedback: provide actionable feedback on errors and improvements.
• Documentation: document requirements, behavior, and evaluation findings.
• Quality Assurance: ensure tasks and criteria are reproducible.

Skills

Software fundamentals

Programming

Data structures

Algorithms

Code review

Debugging

Testing

Documentation

Problem solving

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Unit testing

Code reviews

Job description

This role is for one of our clients

Pay: 150–200/hour

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Remote

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Junior Software Engineer to contribute to the evaluation and improvement of advanced artificial intelligence systems. This opportunity is ideal for early-career software engineers with strong programming fundamentals, analytical thinking, and practical experience developing and reviewing software applications.

In this role, you will evaluate AI-generated code for correctness, quality, efficiency, and design. You will create challenging programming problems, develop reference solutions and test cases, and assess AI models' ability to solve real-world software engineering challenges. You will also review technical reasoning related to debugging, architecture, and system design, providing structured feedback to improve the reliability and performance of AI-generated solutions.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• AI-Generated Code Evaluation:

  Review AI-generated code for functional correctness, readability, maintainability, efficiency, and adherence to software engineering best practices.

• Coding Problem Development:

  Design challenging programming problems that assess algorithmic thinking, debugging skills, implementation quality, and practical engineering judgment.

• Reference Solution Creation:

  Develop accurate, well-structured reference solutions that demonstrate effective approaches to solving software engineering problems.

• Test Case Development:

  Create comprehensive test cases to validate functionality, identify edge cases, and detect incomplete or incorrect implementations.

• Technical Reasoning Assessment:

  Evaluate AI-generated explanations and decisions involving software architecture, system design, debugging, and implementation strategies.

• Code Quality Analysis:

  Identify bugs, inefficient algorithms, poor design choices, security concerns, and violations of established coding standards.

• Technical Feedback:

  Provide detailed, actionable feedback explaining errors, weaknesses, and opportunities to improve code quality and model performance.

• Documentation:

  Clearly document problem requirements, expected behavior, solution approaches, testing procedures, and technical evaluation findings.

• Quality Assurance:

  Ensure that coding tasks, reference solutions, and evaluation criteria are accurate, consistent, and reproducible.

Required Qualifications

• At least one year of professional experience as a software engineer at a well-established technology company.

• At least part of the relevant professional experience should have been gained within the past three years.

• Strong understanding of programming fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented programming.

• Practical experience writing, debugging, testing, and reviewing code.

• Familiarity with software development practices, including version control, code reviews, testing, and debugging.

• Ability to assess code for correctness, performance, readability, and maintainability.

• Foundational understanding of software architecture and system design principles.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions and complex engineering concepts clearly.

• Ability to work independently and deliver accurate, high-quality technical assessments.

Must-Have Skills

• Software Engineering Fundamentals

• Programming and Coding

• Data Structures and Algorithms

• Code Review and Quality Assessment

• Debugging and Troubleshooting

• Automated Testing and Test Case Development

• Problem-Solving and Logical Reasoning

• Technical Documentation and Written Communication

Good-to-Have Skills

• Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, or similar programming languages

• Object-Oriented Programming and Design Patterns

• API Development and Backend Engineering

• Software Architecture and System Design

• Performance Optimization and Profiling

• Git and Version Control

• Unit Testing and Integration Testing

• CI/CD and Software Development Workflows

• AI-Generated Code Evaluation

• Familiarity with AI coding assistants and model benchmarking

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional software engineering experience at a recognized technology company.

• Experience developing and maintaining production-quality applications, services, or APIs.

• Familiarity with reviewing complex codebases and identifying implementation weaknesses.

• Experience designing coding exercises, technical assessments, or automated evaluation tests.

• Candidates based in English-speaking countries are preferred.

• Ability to communicate technical findings in clear, structured, and concise English.