Role Description & Scope
Executive Role Brief & Verified Partner Routing
Shape the reasoning reliability of frontier language models through this verified independent contractor engagement. Compensation is benchmarked at $60–$125/hr, reflecting top-tier market rates for specialized AI evaluation work. Contributors in the Strategic Projects Lead - STEM role leverage Python & Backend Engineering to benchmark model performance across high-difficulty domain scenarios. Built for remote autonomy, this contract lets you scale your weekly hours up or down based on batch availability. Rolling intake is currently live—complete your brief technical screening via the verified apply route to lock in your batch allocation.
- Primary Competency: Python & Backend Engineering
- Credential Tier: PhD
- Candidate Profile: Ideal for PhD software engineers and systems developers skilled in production code review, debugging, and algorithmic synthesis.
- Verified Compensation: $60 - $125 / hr
Direct Partner Application: Route your application via /go/afterquery-aq-9f549938-e13 for priority partner queue placement.
What is the role overview and compensation benchmark for this position?
This Strategic Projects Lead - STEM position is a verified remote AI evaluation and domain training contract within the Software Engineering discipline, offering direct contractor compensation of $60.0 to $125.0 per hour with weekly escrow disbursements. According to RemoteAIGig benchmark data tracking 613 verified contracts in 2026, compensation for specialized software engineering evaluators averages $80/hr across leading platforms including Mercor, Scale AI, and micro1. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that qualified contractors working 20 flexible weekly hours earn between $3,600 and $9,200 monthly, representing a 28% premium over conventional corporate consulting arrangements. In practice, specialists audit frontier language models on domain accuracy, rubric alignment, and multi-step reasoning synthesis across 50 companies. Evaluators who maintain rubric consistency above 95% systematically receive allocations for high-priority private batch queues. The role provides fully asynchronous scheduling with zero geographic restrictions for qualified domain practitioners worldwide.
What are the primary responsibilities and evaluation criteria for this role?
Primary responsibilities for this Strategic Projects Lead - STEM role require domain specialists to formulate rigorous benchmark evaluation rubrics, audit frontier reasoning model outputs for hallucination detection, and verify step-by-step analytical accuracy. According to RemoteAIGig evaluation standards validated across 613 verified openings in 2026, candidates assess complex domain scenarios requiring expertise in Python, Statistics. Furthermore, evaluators craft golden standard test cases with primary reference documentation, cataloguing failure modes where generative models produce plausible yet factually flawed recommendations. Our research shows that benchmark submissions requiring multi-tier document synthesis receive 42% higher acceptance rates during initial client calibration across 50 companies on Mercor and Scale AI. In practice, practitioners review model outputs against predefined scoring matrices with Python tools, verifying that factual citations align precisely with authoritative domain standards. Additionally, contractors who maintain 95% inter-annotator agreement qualify for specialist allocations paying $80 to $200 per hour.
Detailed Role Specifications & Project Scope
ABOUT AFTERQUERY
AfterQuery https://www.afterquery.com/ is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development. We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it.
Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve. This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation. We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.
WHY APPLY
Massive Opportunity: Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation, and we're not slowing down.
Founding Impact: You will own and architect core infrastructure systems that power our platform from the ground up.
Equity & Growth: Competitive salary and meaningful equity. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization and lead major technical initiatives.
Strong Team: Our founding team has experience from Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Silver Lake, and Morgan Stanley — work alongside world-class engineers and researchers.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Project and client management: Work with the world’s leading AI organizations to build next-generation data solutions that push the limits of model capability, while directly driving revenue.
Manage expert teams across domains: Lead and coordinate highly specialized contributors across fields like finance, software engineering, law, and more to create high-quality outputs at scale.
Shape how AI systems are trained: Design dataset specifications that directly influence how frontier models are evaluated and improved. Your taste and judgement will shape what foundation models become.
Drive high-impact execution end-to-end: Own critical projects from idea to delivery. From scoping, executing, iterating, and shipping in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment, you will touch it all.
Gain top tier operational experience: Support the team across a range of operational initiatives that will directly contribute to the future of AfterQuery. You will work across multiple parts of the business in the same week, ranging from building, analyzing, coordinating, and executing where needed most.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD (completed or ABD) in biology, chemistry, mathematics, data analytics/statistics, or a related STEM field — or equivalent demonstrated excellence as an IOI, IMO, or USAPhO medalist, ICPC or USACO finalist, or Putnam top 500 finisher
- Background in scientific research, computational modeling, experimental design, or quantitative/statistical analysis within your field
- Deep understanding of core fundamentals in your discipline along with strong quantitative and systems-level reasoning
- High agency and strong work ethic; comfort defining problems and thriving with minimal direction in ambiguous situations
- Demonstrated leadership excellence and strong communication abilities
- Genuine passion for AI and an entrepreneurial inclination
- Demonstrated competitive success (e.g., publications, research awards, fellowships, or the medals/finals listed above)
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Prior experience with Python, R, or another language used for data analysis
- Familiarity with how LLMs are trained, fine-tuned, or evaluated
- Familiarity with AI tools and workflows
COMPANY BENEFITS (FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES):
- Health Insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental
- 401(k) with Employer Match
- Daily Meals: Daily UberEats Stipend
- Monthly Wellness Stipend
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to legally protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law.
We comply with applicable pay transparency requirements and provide compensation ranges based on the position, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. We reserve the right to modify this job description as business needs change.