Network Engineering & Simulation Expert – Hephaestus
$70–90/hr
Remote STEM contract with Mercor, $70–90/hr. Posted Nov 4.
$70–90/hr
Apply on MercorIs this job worth applying to?
- Pay
- Above typicalTops out at $90/hr. The typical top rate across 148 priced STEM listings is $70/hr.
- Getting in
- Some screening~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview. Resume showing real experience in your field.
- Steady work
- Work is patchyProjects can pause or end with little notice.
- Payout record
- Pays on timeSchedule: weekly, every Wednesday. Paid via Stripe (Wise in a few countries).
- Freshness
- FreshPosted 2d ago. Still listed on Mercor on Nov 6, 2026.
- Where you live
- Not statedThe listing names no country.
The job description
Role Overview
Mercor is seeking experienced network engineers to build and validate technical tasks for AI systems working with enterprise, data-center, and service-provider networks.
The work focuses on executable network configurations, reproducible simulated or emulated topologies, troubleshooting, and measurable verification. Contributors create the network artifacts and reference solutions behind each task and test whether a proposed configuration produces the required behavior.
Key Responsibilities
- Design realistic tasks involving routing, switching, network services, segmentation, access policies, redundancy, or performance.
- Build reproducible network topologies and device configurations using relevant tools such as containerlab, GNS3, EVE-NG, Mininet, ns-3, FRRouting, or equivalent platforms.
- Configure and debug scenarios involving technologies such as BGP, OSPF, VLANs, IPv4/IPv6, DNS, DHCP, NAT, VPNs, or firewalls, within your area of expertise.
- Develop automated checks for reachability, route selection, policy enforcement, isolation, convergence, failover, latency, throughput, and packet loss. Use tests of live behavior alongside configuration inspection.
- Produce reference configurations, traffic or failure scenarios, and verification scripts; validate both successful and deliberately incorrect cases.
- Package topology files, configuration dependencies, scripts, packet captures, and results so another engineer can reproduce the outcome.
- Review AI-generated configurations and diagnose the cause of failures. Use coding agents to support automation while independently validating network behavior.
Ideal Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional network engineering experience, with direct ownership of enterprise, data-center, cloud, or service-provider networks.
- Strong hands-on routing, switching, troubleshooting, and network-policy skills.
- Experience building network labs, simulations, or emulations and analyzing traffic with tools such as Wireshark, tcpdump, or iperf. Familiarity with every listed platform is not required.
- Ability to write and debug Python, shell, Ansible, or comparable automation for repeatable setup and verification.
- Sound judgment about protocol behavior, failure modes, measurement limitations, and differences between simulated and production networks.
- Clear technical communication. Relevant certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, or JNCIP, and experience with network test automation, are a plus.
Compensation
- Writers: $70–$80/hour.
- Reviewers: $90/hour.
How do you apply to Mercor?
Apply on Mercor
The Apply button opens this post on Mercor's own site. You apply with them, not with Rubric. Budget about 30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview.
Get through screening
What Mercor asks for after you apply:
- Take the recorded AI video interview (practice round available)
- Complete any role-specific assessment and the ID check
- Accept the offer and sign the contract
Start work and get paid
Pay schedule: weekly, every Wednesday. Paid via Stripe (Wise in a few countries). You're paid for the work they hand out, not a fixed salary.
Mercor also needs
- Resume showing real experience in your field
- Webcam with your full face visible for the AI interview
- Government ID
Red flags
- Red flagLong waits with no offer after passing the interview
- Red flagProjects ending abruptly with little warning
What is Mercor like to work for?
Hiring marketplace that screens professionals with an AI video interview and places them on hourly contracts training and evaluating models for AI labs.
| Advertised pay | $20–200/hr |
|---|---|
| Getting in | Some screening |
| Application takes | ~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview |
| How you get paid | Weekly, every Wednesday, via Stripe (Wise in a few countries) |
| Payout record | Pays on time |
| Countries | Hires in many countries and runs its pay week on India Standard Time; Mercor keeps a list of locations it cannot onboard, and some projects are US-only. |
Most listings sit around $50–100/hr; healthcare, legal and finance roles pay the most, language and generalist roles the least.
