Senior Software Engineer

$120/hr

rate as listed

Workload: ~15h/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: STEM and Coding

Mercor is seeking senior individual contributors to apply recent open-source engineering experience to software work for a leading AI research lab. Candidates need verifiable merged contributions from the last six months and experience with projects that have real adoption.

The work

This project involves applying open-source engineering experience to real software engineering work for a leading AI research lab. The listing does not define the exact task mix, but candidates should be prepared to understand existing code, make reviewable changes, and explain engineering decisions with reference to actual repositories and contributions.

What the screen will verify

Expect the screening to focus on whether you operate at Senior, Staff, Principal, or equivalent individual-contributor level. It will also verify recent merged pull requests or commits and ask for concrete evidence that the relevant projects have real adoption, such as 100+ GitHub stars or clear package usage.

Logistics

Pay band: $120/hr

The listing does not state whether the engagement is remote, whether work is primarily asynchronous, or what weekly hours are typical. Candidates should be ready to state their realistic availability and clarify scheduling, collaboration, and time-zone expectations before accepting the project.

What they look for

Senior-level software engineering as an individual contributor
Active contribution to open-source projects
Merged pull requests or commits within the last six months
Experience maintaining or contributing to projects with real adoption

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: This tests whether your work actually matches Senior, Staff, Principal, or equivalent individual-contributor scope rather than relying on title alone.
A strong answer: Anchor the answer in a current or recent role, then describe ownership, technical decisions, code contribution, and impact across a system or project. Distinguish your own work from the work of the broader team.
Where people lose it: Candidates lose points by naming a senior title while describing only assigned feature implementation with no evidence of technical ownership or broader judgment.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

STEM AND CODING on Sidequest

What stem and coding AI work pays

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