Software Engineer (GitHub Contributor)

Zekai; United States; Remote; USD 69,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Zekai is seeking a Software Engineer (GitHub Contributor) for a 100% remote contract role. You will build and test AI-assisted coding tasks, create reproducible environments, and implement deterministic verifiers to guide AI models. Experience with open source contributions and multiple languages is valued.

This role emphasizes strong backend skills, scalable services, and thoughtful code reviews. You’ll work asynchronously with a distributed team, contribute high-quality solutions, and

Qualifications

• Strong backend experience across modern languages and services.
• Proven ability to build scalable APIs and backend systems.
• Experience debugging and improving performance in production.
• Solid code review skills and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop reproducible coding tasks and reinforcement learning environments.
• Create deterministic verifiers for acceptable solutions.
• Analyze and fix defects across diverse codebases.
• Refactor and optimize features for scalability and reliability.
• Document approaches and decisions to aid AI training data.

Skills

Backend development

API design

Performance debugging

Code review

Tools

Java

Node.js

Go

Rust

TypeScript

Python

C++

Job description

Role Title: Software Engineer (GitHub Contributor)

Role Type: Contractor

Location: Anywhere in the world, remote

Opportunity Snapshot

Pay: $50–100/hour

Time per task: ~15 hours per run

Onboarding: As soon as you’re selected, Talent Ops will send you everything you need to get started

You’ll need: clear open source contributions and a profile to showcase them, such as GitHub (preferably with C++, Python, Java, Go, TypeScript, or Rust). If you don’t, you’ll be assessed through a HackerRank assessment instead.

Your tasks: Build reproducible Reinforcement Learning Environments that test an AI model’s ability to fix code, add features, refactor, and optimize performance - including a golden reference solution for each problem

Bonus: experts who complete the AI interview for this specific role move through the process significantly faster.

We care about your human judgment: our interview and assessment stages are designed to see how you think, so we ask that you complete them on your own, without AI assistants or help from others.

Job Description

In this role, you'll apply your expertise to help train next-generation AI systems. Your work will shape how models learn, reason, and perform through high-quality, real-world input. No prior experience in AI is required — your domain knowledge is what matters.

You'll create realistic, interesting and challenging coding tasks for AI to solve involving feature implementation and bug fixes, and implement deterministic verifiers that accept reasonable valid solutions and reject everything else.

What we're looking for

• Strong backend experience in Java, Node.js, Go, Rust, Typescript, Python, C++ or similar
• A track record building scalable services and APIs
• Comfort with debugging, performance work and automated testing
• Solid code review instincts

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience in backend development, with a track record of delivering high-quality and performant projects.
• Demonstrated success in identifying and resolving software bugs and system bottlenecks.
• Experience with codebase refactoring and implementing complex features in large-scale applications.
• Strong understanding of algorithms, data structures, and foundational computer science concepts.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.

Scope of Work

• Contribute expert-level code samples, debugging strategies, and development insights in Python3, Java, Rust, Go, C++, or TypeScript.
• Analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve complex software defects and performance bottlenecks in diverse codebases.
• Implement robust new features, ensuring scalability, maintainability, and adherence to software best practices.
• Refactor and optimize legacy code to improve clarity, efficiency, and long-term reliability.
• Document technical reasoning, solution approaches, and code decisions to enhance AI training data quality.
• Review and validate peer-contributed code and technical submissions for accuracy and clarity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant hands-on expertise in at least one of the following: Python3, Java, Rust, Go, C++, or TypeScript.
• Deep understanding of algorithms, data structures, and software engineering principles.
• Proven ability to debug complex systems, resolve bugs, and deliver effective optimizations.
• Experience with large codebase refactoring and legacy system modernization.
• Track record of delivering high-impact features from conception through delivery within cross-functional projects.
• Strong documentation and communication skills to articulate technical concepts clearly.
• Interest in or curiosity about AI and its technical challenges (previous AI experience not required).

Compensation Structure

Compensation is output-based; experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required to complete work may vary depending on the expert’s experience and workflow. Minimum submission requirements apply. Experts must submit a minimum of tasks per week.

Start Timeline & Availability

We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts ready to jump in right away. If selected, we expect you to start your first tasks within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.

This is a 100% remote contract role, open to applicants worldwide in the countries the employer accepts.