AlignerrCoding & software eval
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
up to $80/hr
About this role, in Alignerr's words
What if your deep expertise in machine learning could directly influence how the next generation of AI systems reason, plan, and solve problems? We're looking for Senior Machine Learning Engineers to author high-fidelity reasoning traces — the structured, step-by-step thought processes that teach large language models how to think.
What you'll do
- Author complex, high-fidelity reasoning traces that capture planning, tool use, and multi-step decision-making for sophisticated technical tasks
- Design and document structured traces that demonstrate how a model should reason through real-world scenarios — not just what the answer is, but how to get there
- Review and quality-check traces produced by other contributors, ensuring clarity, logical soundness, and technical accuracy
Show all 5 itemsHide the other 2 in What you'll do
- Develop data strategies that help LLMs navigate ambiguous, multi-layered problems with reliable, consistent reasoning
- Apply senior-level architectural insight to ensure traces reflect best practices in model decision-making and problem decomposition
Candidate background
Who You Are
- Experienced in machine learning, AI research, or a closely related technical field — you understand how models learn and where they fail
- Skilled at decomposing complex problems into clear, documented, logical steps that others can follow and evaluate
- Familiar with LLM training pipelines, evaluation methodologies, and the mechanics of how models develop reasoning capabilities
- A precise, structured thinker who can translate expertise into high-quality written documentation
- Self-directed and reliable — you produce consistent, high-quality work without hand-holding
Nice to Have
Show all 4 itemsHide these 4 items in Nice to Have
- Prior experience with data annotation, data quality assurance, or AI evaluation systems
- Top-tier Kaggle competition results (Grandmaster or Master level) demonstrating elite-level model understanding and performance optimization
- Background in reinforcement learning, chain-of-thought prompting, or agentic AI systems
- Experience working with or evaluating frontier LLMs
Quoted from selected sections of Alignerr's posting. The full posting may state other conditions. Read the full posting
A closer look
More context, when you need it.
Full job descriptionThe original posting, in Alignerr's words
Posted by Alignerr, reproduced here so you can judge the role before clicking. Original posting ↗
Senior Machine Learning Engineer (AI Training)
About the Role
What if your deep expertise in machine learning could directly influence how the next generation of AI systems reason, plan, and solve problems? We're looking for Senior Machine Learning Engineers to author high-fidelity reasoning traces — the structured, step-by-step thought processes that teach large language models how to think.
This is a fully remote, flexible contract role built for senior-level ML professionals who understand model behavior from the inside out. Your work won't just describe what AI does — it will shape how AI reasons.
- Organization: Alignerr - Type: Hourly Contract - Location: Remote - Commitment: 10–40 hours/week
What You'll Do
* Author complex, high-fidelity reasoning traces that capture planning, tool use, and multi-step decision-making for sophisticated technical tasks * Design and document structured traces that demonstrate how a model should reason through real-world scenarios — not just what the answer is, but how to get there * Review and quality-check traces produced by other contributors, ensuring clarity, logical soundness, and technical accuracy * Develop data strategies that help LLMs navigate ambiguous, multi-layered problems with reliable, consistent reasoning * Apply senior-level architectural insight to ensure traces reflect best practices in model decision-making and problem decomposition
Who You Are
* Experienced in machine learning, AI research, or a closely related technical field — you understand how models learn and where they fail * Skilled at decomposing complex problems into clear, documented, logical steps that others can follow and evaluate * Familiar with LLM training pipelines, evaluation methodologies, and the mechanics of how models develop reasoning capabilities * A precise, structured thinker who can translate expertise into high-quality written documentation * Self-directed and reliable — you produce consistent, high-quality work without hand-holding
Nice to Have
* Prior experience with data annotation, data quality assurance, or AI evaluation systems * Top-tier Kaggle competition results (Grandmaster or Master level) demonstrating elite-level model understanding and performance optimization * Background in reinforcement learning, chain-of-thought prompting, or agentic AI systems * Experience working with or evaluating frontier LLMs
Why Join Us
* Work directly with some of the world's leading AI research teams and labs on cutting-edge model development * Fully remote and flexible — structure your work around your life, not the other way around * Freelance autonomy with meaningful, intellectually stimulating work on problems that actually matter * Gain deep, hands-on exposure to how frontier LLMs are trained and evaluated * Potential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch
Working with AlignerrPay, getting started and work, from Alignerr's own pages
What the platform publishes in general. These are not extra terms confirmed for this particular role.
- Getting paid
- Billed weekly, Monday to Sunday, with approved work paid by the following Friday, according to Labelbox's help center. Payment goes through Stripe Connect or PayPal depending on your location, with one provider per country. intercom.help/labelbox/en/articles/13600616-alignerr-paym..., alignerr.com/process
- Before your first paid task
- Sign up, apply, verify your identity, set up billing and onboard. Some jobs add a Zara AI interview or domain assessments. alignerr.com/process
- How much work
- Time to your first project depends on demand and your skills, and there is no minimum number of hours. alignerr.com/faqs
- Contract
- Independent contractor, under terms with ALIGNERR LLC. alignerr.com/faqs, alignerr.com/privacy
Read on the pages linked above on 24 Sep 2026. Platforms change these terms, so check the linked page before you rely on one.
How does the pay compare?Across Coding & software eval roles, not this role alone
From our own daily reads of every open listing on the platforms we follow, not from Alignerr's posting. How we count.
Pay across the field: Coding & software eval
Across 391 roles in this field with a stated hourly rate in US dollars, on 14 platforms, the middle half pays $65 to $120 an hour at the top of the range, and the median is $95. This role's top rate, $80, is in the middle half. Of the 140 distinct rates we count, 48 are lower and 82 are higher.
| Platform | Roles | Top of range, per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Alignerr (this platform) | 136 | $50 to $400 · median $100 |
| micro1 | 44 | $60 to $350 · median $120 |
| Handshake AI | 43 | $47 to $125 · median $80 |
| Meridial (Invisible) | 34 | $22 to $150 · median $60 |
| Mercor | 33 | $60 to $200 · median $105 |
Sources and listing historyWhere this information comes from
This listing's history
- First seen here on 4 Oct 2026, and still on Alignerr's list when we last read it on 13 Oct 2026.
- The listed pay has not changed since then.
- Posted by Alignerr
- Not stated
- First seen by AIPayList
- Last seen live
- Listing ID
- 13300e9d-2c0f-4626-8251-15debcffdaa2
Pay as the source states it: “$60-80/hr”.
Alignerr posts this role once per country: 2 listings with the same title and pay. This page shows one of them. The full country list is on the main listing.
Platforms sometimes change a rate after posting. Every listing here is re-read at least once a day and corrected when its source moves, so a difference you see on the platform is usually a change made since the last read. How freshness works.
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