Open Source Maintainer AIML

Linuxassociation; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 193,000 - 220,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor, a San Francisco–based AI research collaboration, seeks an Open Source Maintainer / Core Contributor Software Engineer for a remote contract. You will guide research and engineering, craft challenging tasks, and evaluate AI-generated code against strict OSS standards. Docker-enabled workflows, clear rationales, and strong communication are essential.

40 hours/week commitment. Ideal candidates have a proven OSS track record, public code history, and the ability to work independently on a

Qualifications

• Maintainer (named in MAINTAINERS or CODEOWNERS or 10 PR reviews in last 12 months) or core contributor (3 substantive merged PRs in last 12 months).
• Repository is 2+ years old with real users and active code-review culture.
• Public history of sustained OSS contributions verifiable on GitHub.
• Senior code-review judgment including assessment of AI-written code and edge cases.
• Ability to build, run and test the project locally including Docker.

Responsibilities

• Guide research and engineering teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance.
• Design realistic engineering tasks grounded in the open-source codebase and provide reference solutions.
• Evaluate AI-written code, tests, and rubrics against architecture and quality standards.
• Build, run, and test the project locally including with Docker to verify solutions.
• Write precise rationales explaining strong solutions and noting AI gaps.
• Collaborate with subject-matter experts to ensure training data accuracy.

Skills

Code review expertise

Open-source leadership

Strong written communication

Problem solving

Education

Senior-level experience in OSS

Tools

Docker

GitHub

CI/CD tooling

Job description

# Open Source Maintainer AIMLMercor · , CABack to resultsOpen Source Maintainer AIMLMercor, CA Posted November 5, 2026 Via Talent.com### Full Job DescriptionAbout the jobMercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco our investors include Benchmark General Catalyst Peter Thiel Adam DAngelo Larry Summers and Jack Dorsey.Position: Open Source Maintainer / Core Contributor Software EngineerType: ContractCompensation: $150/hourLocation: RemoteCommitment: 40 hours/weekRole Responsibilities• Guide research and engineering teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance in software engineering code review and open-source maintenance topics.• Design challenging realistic engineering tasks grounded in the open-source codebase such as features refactors and bug fixes a maintainer would assign and write accurate well-structured reference solutions.• Evaluate AI-written code tests and grading rubrics against the repositorys architecture conventions and quality bar providing clear written technical feedback.• Build run and test the project locally including with Docker to confirm that tasks solutions and tests behave as intended.• Write precise rationales that explain what a strong solution looks like and where AI-generated changes fall short.• Collaborate with other subject matter experts to ensure consistency and accuracy in training data.QualificationsMust-Have• Maintainer (named in MAINTAINERS or CODEOWNERS or 10 PR reviews in the last 12 months) or core contributor (3 substantive merged PRs in the last 12 months) of a widely used open-source project.• The repository is 2 years old has real users and an active code review culture and is primarily human-written.• Years of sustained open-source contributions with a public history that can be verified against the candidates own GitHub account.• Senior-level code review judgment including the ability to critically assess AI-written code tests and edge cases.• Hands-on ability to build and run the project and its test suite locally including with Docker.• Ability to engage reliably for 40 hours/week during weekdays on an exclusive basis.• Able to complete any necessary background checks and confidentiality agreements before starting and to work on a company-provided device to protect the security of information.• Writes all rationales and feedback personally in their own words.• Strong written communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly.Compensation & Legal• W-2 employment with Cincinnatus LLC.• Equal Employment Opportunity: We do not discriminate based upon race religion color national origin sex sexual orientation gender identity age status as a protected veteran status as an individual with a disability genetic information political views or activity or any other legally protected characteristic.Application Process (Takes 2030 mins to complete)• Upload resume• AI interview based on your resume• Submit formResources & Support• For details about the interview process and platform information please check:• For any help or support reach out to:PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.Employment Type : Full TimeExperience: yearsVacancy: 1