About The Role

# Software Engineering Evaluation Specialist

> Mindrift · India (Remote) · Part-time · Posted 2026-08-24

**Workplace:** remote

**Department:** Python/Terminal Bench

## Description

_Please submit your CV in English and indicate your level of English proficiency._

Mindrift connects specialists with project-based AI opportunities for leading tech companies, focused on testing, evaluating, and improving AI systems. **Participation is project-based, not permanent employment.**

**About the Role**

You’ll design coding tasks that challenge frontier AI coding agents. Each task is a self-contained Docker environment with a broken piece of software; an AI agent attempts the fix; automated tests verify the outcome. Your deliverable is the full task package: broken code, tests, instructions, and a reference solution proving the task is solvable.

Responsibilities

Invent a realistic developer scenario — a real bug, a broken ETL, a missing feature — not a toy problem.
Build a reproducible Docker environment with pinned dependencies.
Write a pytest that verifies outcomes, not specific commands — deterministic, non-flaky, and does not leak the fix.
Write an <instruction.md> that reads like a Jira ticket a developer would receive.
Write a reference <solve.sh> proving the task is solvable.
Calibrate difficulty so current state-of-the-art agents solve the task 20–60% of the time.
Iterate based on feedback from expert QA reviewers.
Later: review other authors’ tasks as a QA reviewer.

**Not in scope**

Data labeling, prompt engineering.
Production code to ship — you design problems and verification for AI agents.
Leetcode puzzles — scenarios must look like real developer work.
Not every candidate task ships — quality over quantity.

**Requirements**

**3+ years** of production software development in one backend stack — Python, Go, Node.js, Java, or Rust. Depth in one stack beats breadth.
**Python + pytest fluency — required regardless of primary stack.** The task harness is pytest-based even when the broken app is in another language. Fixtures, parametrize, monkeypatch, timeouts, <conftest.py>.
**Docker authoring** — reproducible Dockerfiles, pinned dependencies, multi-stage builds when needed, non-root user.
**Linux & Bash** — comfort debugging inside containers (strace, lsof, journalctl); shell beyond set -euo pipefail.
**AI coding agent experience** — Claude Code, Cursor, Roo Code, or similar, on non-trivial work. You can cite a specific time the AI was confidently wrong and how you caught it.
**English — B2+** written.

**Not a fit**

Data Science, ML, or Computer Vision engineers without backend-engineering output.
Manual QA testers without automation or test authoring.
Frontend-only, low-code / no-code, IT Support, or Business Analysts.
Engineers who have never written pytest from scratch.
Junior, intern, or assistant as the most recent role.

**Preferred qualifications**

Domain depth in Security, System Administration (nginx / systemd / cron), Scientific Computing (NumPy / PyTorch / SciPy), DevOps, or Git internals.
Modern Python tooling (uv, poetry, pyproject.toml).
Coverage tooling (pytest-cov, <coverage.py>, gcov, llvm-cov, kcov).
Fuzzing or property-based testing (Hypothesis).
Prior contribution to agent-evaluation benchmarks or related frameworks.

**Process**
Apply → Pass qualification (90-minute sample-task screen + short behavioral interview) → Join a project → Complete tasks → Get paid.
**Time commitment**

Onboarding: ~10 hours per first task.
Steady state: ~5 hours per task, 2–4 parallel tasks per author.
Realistic weekly load: 8–20 hours. Higher volume available for top performers.
You choose when and how to contribute; tasks must be submitted by the deadline and meet acceptance criteria.

**Compensation:**

Paid contributions, rates up to **$35/hour**\*.
Task-based compensation equivalent to hourly rate, depending on performance and volume.
Some projects include incentive payments.

_\*Rates vary based on expertise, skills assessment, location, project needs, and other factors. Higher rates may be provided to highly specialized experts. Lower rates may apply during onboarding or non-core project phases. Payment details are shared per project._

**Apply**

Submit your CV via the Mindrift platform. Indicate your English level, note this role (Software Engineering Evaluation Specialist — Terminal Bench), and include a GitHub profile link if available.

## Apply

[Apply at Mindrift](https://apply.workable.com/toloka-ai/j/FB868E28DC/apply)

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