MercorRating & model evaluation
Database Systems Evaluation Expert
$2.2K/task
About this role, in Mercor's words
Build real-world tasks that test how well AI agents handle database engineering. Depending on your specialty, your task may cover database-engine implementation, production diagnosis, or application migration.
What you'll do
- Design one challenging, self-contained database engineering task.
- Build checks for correctness, failure handling, concurrency, retries, and regressions where relevant.
- Evaluate performance measures such as latency, throughput, and memory use.
Show all 5 itemsHide the other 2 in What you'll do
- Write clear grading criteria for engineering judgment.
- Work with technical reviewers to refine and validate the task.
Quoted from selected sections of Mercor'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 Mercor's words
Posted by Mercor, reproduced here so you can judge the role before clicking. Original posting ↗
Applications close Friday, October 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific. We are selecting the first three applicants who qualify for the initial pilot.
About the work
Build real-world tasks that test how well AI agents handle database engineering. Depending on your specialty, your task may cover database-engine implementation, production diagnosis, or application migration.
Each task should include a clear problem statement, a reproducible repository or environment, a working reference solution, tests, and grading criteria that distinguish a robust engineering solution from one that only appears correct.
What you'll do
• Design one challenging, self-contained database engineering task.
• Build checks for correctness, failure handling, concurrency, retries, and regressions where relevant.
• Evaluate performance measures such as latency, throughput, and memory use.
• Write clear grading criteria for engineering judgment.
• Work with technical reviewers to refine and validate the task.
Who we're looking for
• At least five years of hands-on database-engine internals experience, or a database-systems PhD.
• Deep experience with storage engines, query execution, optimization, transactions, replication, or related low-latency systems.
• Strong implementation skills and clear explanations of correctness and performance tradeoffs.
• Experience with Go is preferred.
DBA, SQL analytics, ETL, or application-only database experience does not qualify on its own. You do not need to specialize in every task area.
Application process
Complete a self-paced technical assessment with written responses and a coding exercise. You control when to advance between sections. (~35 min)
Use a laptop or desktop with a camera, microphone, and entire-screen sharing. Have your own editor and terminal ready, along with Python 3.8+ and a compiler for C, C++, Rust, Go, or Java. The assessment includes a starter kit and public tests. Complete the assessment independently, without outside AI assistance.
Please apply as soon as possible. We will select the first three qualifying applicants. If the pilot fills, completed assessments may be considered for future work if the project expands.
Paid task after selection
Selected experts will complete one task, with approximately 25 hours of work, followed by technical review and feedback.
Task deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026.
Working with MercorPay, getting started and work, from Mercor's own pages
What the platform publishes in general. These are not extra terms confirmed for this particular role.
- Getting paid
- Hourly work is paid every Wednesday for the previous week, through Stripe Connect or Wise, whichever Mercor assigns to your region. Stripe holds the first payout for 7 days. talent.docs.mercor.com/how-to/payments, talent.docs.mercor.com/policies/contracts
- Before your first paid task
- An AI interview of about 20 minutes, reused for other roles that need it, then any assessments the role asks for. Before logging hours: ID verification through Persona, a tax form, the contract documents, the Insightful time tracker, and a background check the onboarding guide says usually takes one to two weeks. talent.docs.mercor.com/support/ai-interview, talent.docs.mercor.com/how-to/apply, talent.docs.mercor.com/policies/contracts, talent.docs.mercor.com/how-to/id-verification, talent.docs.mercor.com/working/project-onboarding
- How much work
- Hearing back after the AI interview usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. When a project ends you are not moved to a new one automatically. talent.docs.mercor.com/support/ai-interview, talent.docs.mercor.com/support/project
- Contract
- Independent contractor with Mercor.io Corporation of San Francisco, which deducts no taxes. talent.docs.mercor.com/policies/taxes-work-authorization, talent.docs.mercor.com/support/legal
Read on the pages linked above on 23 Sep 2026. Platforms change these terms, so check the linked page before you rely on one.
Alex's experience on MercorA personal account, not a promise about your project
Alexruns this site and has worked on Mercor himself. Written 31 Aug 2026.
- Every interview I took used an AI interviewer. They always checked my microphone and camera and asked me to share my screen, and some included a timed exercise of around 25 minutes.
- Many later applications needed no new interview from me. With the required assessments complete and no other outstanding steps, applying could be close to one click.
- The application I checked did not ask for a rate. My offer matched my minimum in Work Preferences. That does not establish that Mercor always caps higher offers at your preference.
- Onboarding and setup came to about 4 hours, with more security and tool setup. Of the three platforms I worked on, it was the most complicated for me. That is an estimate from my projects, not a platform average.
- Mercor required the Insightful tracker on my project. I observed app and website usage monitoring, and I am unsure which screenshot settings applied, so check the configuration.
- I was paid for hours logged, once every 14 days, and I have not experienced late or incorrect payments. That was my arrangement. Mercor's current documentation describes weekly payout cycles, so check your own offer.
One person's applications, not a promise about yours.
What happens after you apply, first-handHow does the pay compare?Across Rating & model evaluation roles, not this role alone
From our own daily reads of every open listing on the platforms we follow, not from Mercor's posting. How we count.
Pay across the field: Rating & model evaluation
Across 163 roles in this field with a stated hourly rate in US dollars, on 13 platforms, the middle half pays $30 to $65 an hour at the top of the range, and the median is $45.
| Platform | Roles | Top of range, per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Meridial (Invisible) | 98 | $15 to $150 · median $50 |
| Rise Data Labs | 15 | $40 to $50 · median $45 |
| micro1 | 10 | $15 to $150 · median $45 |
| Alignerr | 9 | $120 |
| Handshake AI | 7 | $15 to $200 · median $60 |
Sources and listing historyWhere this information comes from
This listing's history
- First seen here on 7 Oct 2026, and still on Mercor's list when we last read it on 13 Oct 2026.
- The listed pay has not changed since then.
- Posted by Mercor
- First seen by AIPayList
- Last seen live
- Listing ID
- list_AAABoQ9G4DSSNzu_zvdIJYwu
Pay as the source states it: “2200 USD HOUR”.
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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