Principal Software Eng.

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: Software Engineer

Type: Contractor
Compensation: $350–$500/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 10–20 hours/week (initially)

Role Responsibilities

• Build robust, high-performance systems for next-generation machine learning applications.
• Develop coding environments without using LLMs.
• Create, test, and integrate APIs with expert-level proficiency.
• Work independently and asynchronously during the trial phase.
• Transition to a full-time engineering role with 60+ hours/week commitment.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• 2+ years of elite software engineering experience from top-tier technology startups or similar environments.
• 2+ years working with Agentic code tools like Cursor and Claude Code.
• Computer Science degree from a prestigious university in the U.S., Canada, or the UK.
• Exceptional attention to detail and rigorous problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Start Date

Immediate start; applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Interview Process

• Initial screening
• Technical interview
• Final interview with leadership

Compensation & Legal

Hourly contractor classification.
Paid weekly via Stripe Connect.

Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)

• Upload resume
• AI interview based on your resume
• Submit form

Resources & Support

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

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