AI Engineering Specialist - PhD

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: Engineering & Software Domain Expert
Type: Contract
Compensation: $65–$105/hour
Location: Hybrid, Bay Area, California
Commitment: 40 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Evaluate the quality of engineering knowledge work tasks and AI model outputs. Identify missing behaviors, thin reasoning, and code errors.
• Develop high-quality instruction specs and golden solutions for engineering problems. Define new tasks reflecting practical engineering work.
• Design challenging engineering tasks and evaluation sets. Build domain-specific skills and tools with the research team.
• Collaborate with client researchers and specialists to maintain consistent standards. Translate tacit engineering judgment into explicit criteria.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while improving AI model performance.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. MS or PhD preferred.
• 4+ years of professional engineering practice, building and shipping production software or systems.
• Specialization in areas like distributed systems, security, embedded systems, or machine learning.
• Progression to a senior level, such as Senior, Staff, Principal, or Engineering Lead.
• Hands-on use of large language models in professional work.
• Commitment to 40 hours/week for an initial 6-month engagement.
• Reside in the Bay Area, California, and work on-site as required.

Resources & Support

• For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome
• For any help or support, reach out to: support@mercor.com

PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.