AlignerrCoding & software eval
Lead Systems Engineer (Rust) - AI Platform
up to $75/hr
About this role, in Alignerr's words
What if your deep expertise in Rust could directly shape the infrastructure powering the next generation of AI? We're looking for a senior Rust engineer to build, optimize, and lead the systems that make cutting-edge AI research and production workflows possible — working alongside world-class teams at leading AI labs.
What you'll do
- Design, build, and optimize high-performance systems in Rust that power AI data pipelines and evaluation workflows at scale
- Develop full-stack tooling and backend services for large-scale data annotation, validation, and quality control
- Own and improve reliability, performance, and safety across existing Rust codebases
Show all 6 itemsHide the other 3 in What you'll do
- Identify bottlenecks, edge cases, and failure modes in complex systems — then implement scalable, elegant fixes
- Collaborate closely with data, research, and engineering teams to accelerate model training and evaluation
- Lead synchronous system design reviews and drive architectural decisions with clarity and confidence
Candidate background
Who You Are
- Native or fluent English speaker with strong written and verbal communication skills
- 5+ years of professional experience writing production-grade Rust, with a focus on system architecture and API design
- Deep expertise in FFI (Foreign Function Interface) and unsafe Rust, with a strong understanding of how to manage boundaries between Rust and other languages safely
- Advanced command of asynchronous runtimes and multi-threaded environments — you understand concurrency deeply and write code that proves it
- Confident leading system design reviews and articulating complex technical tradeoffs to cross-functional teams
- Able to commit 20–40 hours per week with reliability and professionalism
Nice to Have
Show all 4 itemsHide these 4 items in Nice to Have
- Prior experience with data annotation, data quality pipelines, or evaluation systems
- Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, model training, or benchmarking infrastructure
- Experience building or maintaining distributed systems or developer tooling
- Exposure to working with research teams or in fast-moving AI environments
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 ↗
Lead Systems Engineer (Rust) — AI Platform
About the Role
What if your deep expertise in Rust could directly shape the infrastructure powering the next generation of AI? We're looking for a senior Rust engineer to build, optimize, and lead the systems that make cutting-edge AI research and production workflows possible — working alongside world-class teams at leading AI labs.
This is a fully remote contract role with flexible commitment. You'll be embedded in real production environments, solving hard problems at the intersection of systems engineering and AI infrastructure.
- Organization: Alignerr - Type: Hourly Contract - Location: Remote - Commitment: 20–40 hours/week
What You'll Do
* Design, build, and optimize high-performance systems in Rust that power AI data pipelines and evaluation workflows at scale * Develop full-stack tooling and backend services for large-scale data annotation, validation, and quality control * Own and improve reliability, performance, and safety across existing Rust codebases * Identify bottlenecks, edge cases, and failure modes in complex systems — then implement scalable, elegant fixes * Collaborate closely with data, research, and engineering teams to accelerate model training and evaluation * Lead synchronous system design reviews and drive architectural decisions with clarity and confidence
Who You Are
* Native or fluent English speaker with strong written and verbal communication skills * 5+ years of professional experience writing production-grade Rust, with a focus on system architecture and API design * Deep expertise in FFI (Foreign Function Interface) and unsafe Rust, with a strong understanding of how to manage boundaries between Rust and other languages safely * Advanced command of asynchronous runtimes and multi-threaded environments — you understand concurrency deeply and write code that proves it * Confident leading system design reviews and articulating complex technical tradeoffs to cross-functional teams * Able to commit 20–40 hours per week with reliability and professionalism
Nice to Have
* Prior experience with data annotation, data quality pipelines, or evaluation systems * Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, model training, or benchmarking infrastructure * Experience building or maintaining distributed systems or developer tooling * Exposure to working with research teams or in fast-moving AI environments
Why Join Us
* Work on real, high-impact production systems alongside some of the best AI research teams in the world * Fully remote and flexible — structure your work around your life, not the other way around * Freelance autonomy with the depth and significance of meaningful engineering work * Get direct exposure to next-generation AI infrastructure at the frontier of the field * Potential for ongoing engagement and expanded scope 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, $75, is in the middle half. Of the 140 distinct rates we count, 44 are lower and 92 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 27 Aug 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
- First seen by AIPayList
- Last seen live
- Listing ID
- 0ba6cf5d-7a45-4302-bc2c-2db777c27863
Pay as the source states it: “$50-75/hr”.
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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