Software Engineer - AI Trainer

AfterQuery Experts offers a remote, project-based contract role that fits around your schedule. You will work asynchronously over the next 2–3 weeks with an expected commitment of 10–20 hours per week, while contributing to meaningful engineering work at an early-stage, Y Combinator-backed research lab. The opportunity also supports portfolio building through real-world problems across diverse codebases.

Location: Columbia, MO (remote). Salary: USD 60–80 per hour. Job type: contract. Minimum experience: 1 year. Expected experience range noted for the role: 1–3 years.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and ship clean, well-tested code across a variety of projects and technology stacks
• Debug, refactor, and optimize existing codebases to improve performance, maintainability, and scalability
• Participate in code reviews, providing and incorporating constructive technical feedback
• Collaborate asynchronously on technical specifications, architecture decisions, and implementation plans
• Document code, APIs, and technical approaches clearly and in a reproducible way

Requirements

• 1–3 years of professional software engineering experience in a full-time or equivalent role
• Strong proficiency in at least one modern programming language and its associated ecosystem
• Demonstrated ability to independently scope, implement, and deliver software features or fixes
• Solid understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, and system design
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience)

Technologies

• Git
• GitHub Actions
• AWS
• GCP
• Azure

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working across multiple layers of the stack, such as frontend, backend, APIs, or infrastructure
• Familiarity with version control workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and collaborative development practices (for example, Git and GitHub Actions)
• Exposure to cloud platforms and deployment environments, such as AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Background contributing to open source projects or building personal software projects independently

Benefits

• Flexible Time Commitment - Work on your schedule while tackling meaningful engineering challenges
• Startup Exposure - Work directly with an early-stage Y Combinator-backed company and gain hands-on experience
• Portfolio Building - Solve complex, real-world software engineering problems across diverse codebases
• Professional Growth - Sharpen your skills through varied, challenging development tasks spanning multiple domains and technologies
• exceptional pay
• exposure to real-world engineering problems
• a strong addition to your professional portfolio

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is a research lab exploring the boundaries of artificial intelligence through novel datasets and experimentation. The team is backed by top investors, including Y Combinator and Box Group, and supports all leading AI labs.