Expert Software Engineer – Scala / Kotlin / OCaml

A leading AI research organization is evaluating how advanced AI systems perform in specialized engineering domains and is seeking experienced software engineers with deep expertise in Scala, Kotlin, and/or OCaml.

This role focuses on assessing complex real-world software engineering scenarios and helping shape how advanced AI systems perform within these technology ecosystems.

Engineers specializing in a single language are encouraged to apply.

What You'll Do

• Apply software engineering expertise to evaluate technical tasks against real-world professional standards

• Review complex code-level scenarios and provide structured technical assessments

• Work within containerized development environments using:

  • Docker
  • Repository-based workflows
  • Automated validation tools
  • CI-style checks

• Interpret engineering environments and determine technical correctness

• Provide clear written explanations supporting technical judgments

• Complete structured tasks with defined evaluation criteria and timelines

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience in one or more of the following:

Scala

• Functional and object-oriented JVM development
• Distributed systems
• Spark
• Akka
• Cats
• ZIO
• Data engineering environments

Kotlin

• JVM development
• Android development
• Coroutines
• Backend services
• Modern application architecture

OCaml

• Typed functional programming

• Compiler development

• Tooling ecosystems

• Formal methods

• Systems programming

• Ability to work within:

  • Docker environments
  • CI workflows
  • Repository-based development environments

• Strong written communication skills

• Ability to explain not only what code does, but why it is technically correct and follows established engineering practices

Preferred Backgrounds

Applicants may come from:

• Product engineering teams
• Data engineering organizations
• Research engineering environments
• Distributed systems teams
• Mobile engineering teams

A public GitHub profile is not required.

Why This Work Matters

Scala, Kotlin, and OCaml support critical systems across distributed computing, modern application development, data infrastructure, and high-assurance software.

These domains remain underrepresented in AI research. Your expertise will directly influence how future AI systems learn to understand and operate within them.

Engagement Details

• Compensation: $120–200/hour depending on expertise and experience
• Expected commitment: 20–40 hours per week

Work Availability

Task volume may fluctuate and work often arrives in batches.

Ideal contributors are:

• Flexible with scheduling
• Comfortable supporting occasional weekend work
• Able to take ownership of task completion and project momentum

Additional Notes

• No proprietary tooling is required
• Tasks can be completed using standard development tools and environments

Contract & Payment Terms

• Independent contractor engagement
• Fully remote work
• Flexible schedule
• Projects may be extended, shortened, or concluded based on project needs and performance
• Weekly payments through Stripe or Wise

Important Note

Mercor currently cannot support:

• H1-B candidates
• STEM OPT candidates

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train and evaluate frontier AI systems using real-world human expertise.

Contributors work directly on projects helping shape the next generation of AI technologies.