Is this job worth applying to?

Pay

Below typicalTops out at $75/hr. The typical top rate across 237 priced coding listings is $90/hr.

Getting in

Hard to get in~1–2 hours of assessments. Valid government photo ID.

Steady work

Work is patchyFeast-or-famine project volume.

Payout record

Some delaysSchedule: weekly, by Friday for the prior Monday–Sunday. Paid via Stripe or PayPal (depends on country).

Freshness

RecentPosted 2w ago. Still listed on Alignerr on Nov 6, 2026.

Where you live

Not statedThe listing names no country.

The job description

About the Role

What if your Python expertise could directly shape the infrastructure powering some of the world's most advanced AI systems? We're looking for a Principal Python Engineer to build and optimize the data pipelines, annotation tooling, and evaluation systems that leading AI labs depend on — working on real production code with meaningful, measurable impact.

This is a fully remote, flexible contract role for a senior engineer who thrives at the intersection of systems programming, distributed computing, and AI infrastructure.

What You'll Do

Design, build, and optimize high-performance Python systems supporting large-scale AI data pipelines and model evaluation workflows
Develop full-stack backend tooling and services for data annotation, validation, and quality control at scale
Diagnose and resolve bottlenecks across compute-heavy, distributed systems using advanced async patterns and profiling techniques
Improve reliability, safety, and performance across existing production Python codebases
Collaborate closely with data, research, and engineering teams to accelerate model training and evaluation cycles
Drive architectural decisions through synchronous design reviews and clear technical communication

Who You Are

5+ years writing production Python for large-scale infrastructure or platform engineering
Deep expertise in distributed computing, concurrency, and advanced asynchronous programming patterns
Fluent in Python internals — including GIL limitations, memory profiling, and performance optimization for compute-heavy workloads
Experienced full-stack developer with a strong systems programming background
Clear, confident communicator capable of driving technical strategy and architectural decisions
Native or fluent English speaker
Available to commit 20–40 hours per week

Nice to Have

Prior experience with data annotation, data quality, or evaluation systems
Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, model training, or benchmarking pipelines
Background in distributed systems architecture or developer tooling
Exposure to working directly with AI research teams or labs

Why Join Us

Work on real, high-impact production systems used by leading AI research labs
Fully remote and flexible — work when and where it suits you
Freelance autonomy with the depth and structure of meaningful, long-term technical work
Collaborate with top engineers and researchers at the frontier of AI development
Potential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch

How do you apply to Alignerr?

Apply on Alignerr

The Apply button opens this post on Alignerr's own site. You apply with them, not with Rubric. Budget about 1–2 hours of assessments.

Get through screening

What Alignerr asks for after you apply:

Take the TestGorilla skills assessment (usually one attempt per role)
Verify your identity with Persona
Join the Alignerr Slack community
Set up payouts once you are assigned to a project

Start work and get paid

Pay schedule: weekly, by Friday for the prior Monday–Sunday. Paid via Stripe or PayPal (depends on country). You're paid for the work they hand out, not a fixed salary.

Alignerr also needs

Valid government photo ID
Degree or professional experience for expert roles
Webcam for proctored assessments on some roles

Red flags

Red flagLong gaps with no project after passing
Red flagWorker reports of delayed or withheld payments on Glassdoor

What is Alignerr like to work for?

Labelbox's contractor network, which hires generalists and domain experts to label data and write and grade AI training tasks.

Advertised pay	$15–150/hr
Getting in	Hard to get in
Application takes	~1–2 hours of assessments
How you get paid	Weekly, by Friday for the prior Monday–Sunday, via Stripe or PayPal (depends on country)
Payout record	Some delays
Countries	Accepts most countries but blocks signups from about two dozen; posts India-specific roles such as Hindi, Telugu and Indian-English language and cultural review work.

Generalist and bilingual work is around $15–20/hr, coding QA $30–40/hr, and senior software, advanced math, medical and law roles $70–150/hr; some projects pay per approved task.