Development Economist
$35–70/hr
Remote finance contract with Alignerr, $35–70/hr, open worldwide. Posted Oct 26.
$35–70/hr
Apply on AlignerrIs this job worth applying to?
- Pay
- Below typicalTops out at $70/hr. The typical top rate across 145 priced finance listings is $100/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 11d ago. Still listed on Alignerr on Nov 6, 2026.
- Where you live
- Open worldwideOpen worldwide.
The job description
About the Role
We're looking for development economists to help evaluate and improve AI systems trained on global and development economics content. Your expertise will directly shape how AI understands and reasons about some of the world's most pressing economic challenges — from inequality and poverty to growth, trade, and international development.
This is a fully remote, flexible contract role where your real-world and academic knowledge makes a tangible difference in how AI communicates economic ideas.
What You'll Do
- Review and evaluate development economics questions, explanations, and scenarios used in AI training
- Assess the quality and accuracy of AI reasoning on topics such as economic growth, poverty, inequality, and global development
- Identify errors, oversimplifications, or misleading economic arguments in AI-generated content
- Provide structured, critical feedback to improve the accuracy, depth, and contextual nuance of AI outputs
- Apply your academic or field experience to validate real-world economic scenarios
- Work independently and asynchronously to meet project milestones
Who You Are
- 3+ years of experience researching or teaching development economics
- Strong command of global economic issues, development theory, and data interpretation
- Able to critically evaluate written economic reasoning and identify conceptual gaps
- Clear and effective written communicator
- Self-motivated and comfortable working with structured review tasks
Nice to Have
- Graduate degree in Economics or a related field
- Experience in field research, NGO work, or international economic policy
- Familiarity with AI systems or content evaluation workflows
Why Join Us
- Work on cutting-edge AI projects with leading research labs
- Fully remote and flexible — work on your own schedule from anywhere
- Freelance perks: autonomy, variety, and global collaboration
- Contribute to meaningful work that shapes how AI understands global development
- Potential for ongoing work and contract extension
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.
