Lead Backend Engineer - AI Tooling
About this role
About the Role What if your Python expertise could directly shape the infrastructure powering next-generation AI? We're looking for a senior backend engineer to build the data pipelines, annotation tooling, and evaluation systems that leading AI labs depend on to train and improve their models. This is a fully remote, flexible contract role for an experienced engineer who wants meaningful, high-impact work — not just another maintenance ticket queue. - Organization: Alignerr - Type: Hourly Contract - Location: Remote - Commitment: 20–40 hours/week What You'll Do - Design, build, and optimize high-performance Python systems supporting AI data pipelines and evaluation workflows - Develop backend services and full-stack tooling for large-scale data annotation, validation, and quality control - Architect robust APIs (REST/GraphQL), design database schemas, and implement authentication and authorization flows - Improve reliability, performance, and safety across existing Python codebases - Collaborate with data, research, and engineering teams to support model training and evaluation workflows - Identify bottlenecks and edge cases in data and system behavior, then implement scalable, production-ready fixes - Lead synchronous code reviews and system design sessions with cross-functional teams Who You Are - Native or fluent English speaker with clear written and verbal communication skills - 5+ years of professional experience writing production Python backend services - Full-stack developer with a strong systems programming background - Deep familiarity with modern web frameworks and strict type enforcement patterns - Experienced architecting APIs, designing schemas, and building secure auth systems - Able to commit 20–40 hours per week reliably - Self-directed and comfortable operating with autonomy in a remote environment Nice to Have - Prior experience with data annotation platforms, data quality systems, or evaluation pipelines - Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, model training, or benchmarking infrastructure - Experience with distributed systems or developer tooling - Background working with or alongside AI research teams Why Join Us - Work on real production systems at the frontier of AI development alongside leading research labs - Fully remote and flexible — structure your hours around your life - Freelance autonomy with the substance of genuinely impactful engineering work - Collaborate with sharp, mission-driven teams working on problems that actually matter - Potential for ongoing work and expanded engagement as projects grow
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