Software Engineer, Sr.

About the Role

Aligned is expanding its team of expert Senior Software Engineering Consultants for part-time, fully remote consulting work supporting frontier AI research. Consultants will apply advanced software engineering expertise to design challenging coding problems and evaluate AI models on complex software engineering tasks. Projects support leading AI labs working at the frontier of AI knowledge. This opportunity is designed for highly experienced software engineers and competitive programmers who can contribute expert-level technical judgment to AI research projects.

Responsibilities

• Design expert-level coding problems that challenge leading AI models.
• Develop complex software engineering tasks for frontier AI research.
• Evaluate and pressure-test AI models on challenging software engineering problems.
• Assess AI model performance on complex coding and software engineering tasks.
• Apply senior-level software engineering expertise to AI research projects.

Required Qualifications

Candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Fluent English reading and writing skills.
• Currently or previously employed at a Senior/Staff Engineer level (L6–L7 equivalent) at one of the following companies:
  • Google — L6–L7
  • Meta — E6–E7
  • Microsoft — 65–67
  • Amazon — L6–L7
  • Apple — ICT4–ICT5
  • Netflix — Senior–Staff
  • Nvidia — Senior–Staff

OR

• Achieved one of the following competitive programming distinctions:
  • Medalist from IOI or ICPC World Finals
  • Finalist from Google Code Jam or Meta Hacker Cup
  • Top performer (red+ rating) from TopCoder or Codeforces

Skills & Competencies

• Senior software engineering
• Software development
• Advanced coding
• Complex problem solving
• Coding problem design
• Software engineering evaluation
• AI model evaluation
• AI model testing and pressure-testing
• Technical judgment
• Competitive programming
• English reading and writing
• Frontier AI research
• Expert-level software engineering

Education & Experience

Education

• No specific degree or formal educational requirement is stated in the source job description.

Experience

• Required: Current or previous Senior/Staff Engineer-level experience at one of the specifically listed companies, at the stated equivalent level.
• Alternatively, candidates must have achieved one of the specified competitive programming distinctions.

Work Arrangement & Schedule

• Location: San Francisco, CA, US
• Work arrangement: Fully remote
• Employment type: Part-time

Compensation & Benefits

• Project compensation: $150–$175 USD per hour.
• Consultants can set their own rates according to the source description.
• Projects are paid consulting engagements supporting frontier AI research.

Compliance / Additional Information

• Organization: Aligned Labs
• Aligned partners with leading AI labs on frontier AI projects across fields including STEM, medicine, law, and finance.
• The role is focused specifically on expert software engineering consulting for AI research.
• No additional certifications, degrees, security clearances, or visa requirements are stated in the source job description.