Senior Software Engineer - Ai/Ml

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; GBP 123,000 - 185,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Senior Software Engineering Expert for contract work focusing on evaluating AI-generated software and designing evaluation tasks. Remote work with hourly compensation between $120 and $180 is offered.

You will work with elite teams and shape standards for automated code review. You'll craft realistic engineering challenges, assess code quality in large production systems, and work with AI coding agents to ensure reproducible, defendable assessments.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Proficient in at least one major language (Python/Java/C++/Go/TypeScript/Rust).
• Experience with large, complex production codebases.
• Excellent written English for technical decisions.
• Bachelor's degree from an English-speaking country.

Responsibilities

• Design realistic software engineering tasks for AI model evaluation.
• Write task proposals with realism, verification, and challenges.
• Provide reference solutions, tests, and evaluation criteria.
• Assess AI-generated code and collaborate with AI agents.
• Apply evidence-based judgement and iterate with senior reviewers.

Skills

4+ years software exp

Multi-language proficiency

English writing

Experience with large codebases

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About the job

Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark, General Catalyst, Peter Thiel, Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers, and Jack Dorsey.

Position: Senior Software Engineering Experts
Type: Contract
Compensation: $120–$180/hour
Location: Remote

Role Responsibilities

• Design realistic, challenging software engineering tasks from real-world work. Tasks include feature changes, debugging, root-cause analysis, code review, system design, and technical documentation.
• Write clear task proposals explaining task realism, verification, and challenges for current AI models.
• Illustrate "what good looks like" with reference solutions, tests, and criteria covering correctness, architecture, maintainability, style, and scope.
• Assess AI-generated code and engineering work, collaborating with AI coding agents to evaluate success and failure.
• Apply consistent, evidence-based judgment for reproducible and defensible assessments.
• Take structured feedback from senior reviewers and iterate on submitted work.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• 4+ years of professional software engineering experience at leading technology, quantitative, or financial firms.
• Strong command of at least one major language like Python, Java, C++, Go, TypeScript, or Rust.
• Proven ability to work in large, complex production codebases and judge code quality.
• Excellent written English for explaining technical decisions and trade-offs.
• Bachelor's degree from an English-speaking country.
• Detail-oriented and consistent in evaluating complex work.
• Comfortable receiving feedback and calibrating judgment against set standards.