Junior Software Engineer – AI Code Evaluation (Remote)

$312K - $416K Remote Entry Level AI Software Engineer

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About This Role

AI job market dashboard showing open roles by category

Company Description

Our client is a leading organization in the artificial intelligence industry, collaborating with top technology companies and AI research teams to advance the development of next-generation AI systems.

The company is seeking talented software engineers to contribute to innovative projects focused on evaluating AI-generated code, solving complex programming challenges, and improving the reasoning, accuracy, and performance of advanced AI models.

This opportunity offers the flexibility of remote contract work, competitive compensation, and the chance to contribute to cutting-edge artificial intelligence initiatives alongside highly skilled technical professionals.

Job Description

Our client is seeking talented Junior Software Engineers to participate in an innovative artificial intelligence initiative focused on improving the quality, accuracy, and technical capabilities of advanced AI models.

This fully remote, contract-based opportunity is designed for software engineers with experience at leading technology companies who are interested in applying their programming knowledge to real-world AI development challenges.

Selected professionals will evaluate AI-generated code, develop complex programming challenges, analyze technical solutions, and provide structured feedback to help improve AI model performance.

Key Responsibilities

  • Evaluate AI-generated code for correctness, efficiency, maintainability, and overall software quality.
  • Develop challenging programming problems, reference solutions, and comprehensive test cases.
  • Review and assess AI-generated technical reasoning involving algorithms, data structures, debugging, software architecture, and system design.
  • Identify errors, inefficiencies, and potential improvements in AI-generated software solutions.
  • Provide clear, detailed, and actionable written technical feedback to support continuous AI model improvement.
  • Apply software engineering best practices to assess code quality and technical decision-making.
  • Contribute to projects focused on advancing the capabilities of next-generation AI systems.

Position Details

  • Job Title: Junior Software Engineer – AI Code Evaluation
  • Work Arrangement: 100% Remote
  • Employment Type: Independent Contractor
  • Compensation: USD $150–$200 per hour
  • Available Opportunities: Up to 100 positions
  • Preferred Location: United States and other English-speaking countries
  • Industry: Artificial Intelligence / Software Engineering

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This position offers software engineers the opportunity to apply their technical expertise to advanced artificial intelligence projects while working remotely.

Candidates will contribute to the evaluation and improvement of AI-generated software, gaining exposure to emerging technologies and complex engineering challenges.

Join an exciting initiative helping shape the future of AI-powered software development.

Qualifications Required Qualifications

  • Minimum of 1 year of professional experience as a Software Engineer at a leading technology company, with at least part of that experience gained within the last 3 years.
  • Strong programming fundamentals, including algorithms, data structures, debugging, and code optimization.
  • Solid understanding of software architecture, system design, and software engineering best practices.
  • Ability to review, evaluate, and identify errors or inefficiencies in complex code.
  • Experience analyzing technical solutions and assessing code correctness, quality, and maintainability.
  • Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent written English communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical decisions and provide detailed feedback.
  • Ability to work independently in a fully remote, contractor-based environment.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Previous experience working at a top-tier technology company or within a highly technical software engineering environment.
  • Based in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or another English-speaking country.
  • Experience conducting code reviews, developing technical assessments, or designing programming challenges.
  • Familiarity with evaluating AI-generated code or working with AI-assisted software development tools.
  • Ability to create challenging programming problems, reference solutions, and comprehensive test cases.
  • Strong understanding of software engineering concepts involving algorithms, debugging, architecture, and system design.

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are particularly interested in software engineers who have gained hands-on experience at leading technology organizations and can demonstrate strong technical judgment, programming proficiency, and the ability to communicate complex engineering concepts clearly.

Candidates should be comfortable evaluating sophisticated software solutions, identifying technical weaknesses, and contributing to the improvement of advanced AI systems.

Important: This opportunity is intended for engineers with relevant professional experience. Recent graduates without qualifying software engineering experience may not meet the selection criteria.

Additional Information Work Arrangement: 100% Remote

Contract Type: Independent Contractor

Compensation: USD $150–$200 per hour

Open Positions: Up to 100 opportunities

Preferred Locations: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries.

About the Opportunity

This is a project-based opportunity for software engineers interested in contributing to advanced artificial intelligence development.

Selected candidates will work remotely on technical assignments involving AI-generated code evaluation, software engineering challenges, debugging, and technical reasoning.

Application and Selection Process

Qualified candidates will be invited to complete an application and may be required to participate in technical assessments to demonstrate their software engineering knowledge, analytical capabilities, and written communication skills.

Participation in the selection process does not guarantee an assignment or contract offer.

Important Considerations

  • Candidates must have relevant professional software engineering experience.
  • Previous employment at a leading technology company is an important selection criterion.
  • Strong written English communication skills are essential.
  • Applicants should be comfortable working independently and providing detailed technical evaluations.
  • Final selection, compensation, project assignments, and contractual terms are subject to client evaluation and approval.

Salary Context

This $312K-$416K range is above the 75th percentile for AI Software Engineer roles in our dataset (median: $192K across 198 roles with salary data).

Role Details

Company ELITEBRAIN
Title Junior Software Engineer – AI Code Evaluation (Remote)
Location New York, NY, US
Category AI Software Engineer
Experience Entry Level
Salary $312K - $416K
Remote Yes

About This Role

AI Software Engineers build the applications and systems that AI models run inside. They own the API layers, data pipelines, frontend integrations, and infrastructure that turn a model into a product users interact with. Every AI company needs engineers who can build the software around the AI.

The challenge is building reliable systems around inherently unreliable components. Models are probabilistic. They'll give different answers to the same question. They hallucinate. They're slow. They're expensive. Your job is to build an application layer that handles all of this gracefully while delivering a product that users trust and enjoy.

Across the 9,079 AI roles we're tracking, AI Software Engineer positions make up 5% of the market. At ELITEBRAIN, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.

AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.

What the Work Looks Like

A typical week includes: building API endpoints that serve model inference with caching and fallback logic, designing the data pipeline that feeds context to a RAG system, implementing streaming responses in the frontend, debugging a race condition in the async inference pipeline, and optimizing database queries for the vector search layer. It's full-stack engineering with AI at the center.

AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.

Skills in Demand for This Role

Python (18% of roles) Aws (10% of roles) Azure (8% of roles) Rag (7% of roles) Gcp (6% of roles) Pytorch (5% of roles) Claude (5% of roles) Kubernetes (4% of roles)

Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.

Knowledge of vector databases, embedding APIs, and LLM integration patterns (function calling, structured outputs, retry logic) differentiates AI software engineers from general software engineers. Understanding cost optimization (caching strategies, model routing, batched inference) is valuable since inference costs can dominate application economics.

Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.

Compensation Benchmarks

AI Software Engineer roles pay a median of $220,000 based on 1,601 positions with disclosed compensation. Entry-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $111,000. This role's midpoint ($364K) sits 65% above the category median. Disclosed range: $312K to $416K.

Across all AI roles, the market median is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($256,000) and Research Engineer ($252,000). By seniority level: Entry: $111,000; Mid: $193,200; Senior: $229,300; Director: $272,300; VP: $235,830.

ELITEBRAIN AI Hiring

ELITEBRAIN has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across AI Software Engineer. Based in New York, NY, US. Compensation range: $416K - $416K.

Remote Work Context

Remote AI roles pay a median of $188,000 across 2,316 positions. About 6% of all AI roles offer remote work.

Career Path

Common paths into AI Software Engineer roles include Software Engineer, Full-Stack Developer, Backend Engineer.

From here, career progression typically leads toward Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager.

If you're a software engineer, you're already 80% there. Learn the AI integration patterns: RAG, streaming inference, function calling, structured outputs. Build a project that demonstrates you can wrap an AI model in a production-quality application with proper error handling, caching, and user experience. That's the portfolio piece that gets you hired.

What to Expect in Interviews

Technical screens look like standard software engineering interviews with an AI twist. Expect system design questions about building reliable applications around probabilistic models: handling streaming responses, implementing retry logic for API failures, and designing caching strategies for LLM outputs. Coding rounds test standard algorithms plus practical integration patterns like async processing and rate limiting.

When evaluating opportunities: Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.

AI Hiring Overview

The AI job market has 9,079 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 106 entry-level, 4,384 mid-level, 3,343 senior, and 1,246 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (531 positions). The remaining 8,478 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.

The market median for AI roles is $213,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $263,911. The 90th percentile reaches $318,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($256,000 median, 66 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 457 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($251,622 median, 55 roles).

AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.

The AI Job Market Today

The AI job market spans 9,079 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (6,862), AI Product Manager (453), AI Software Engineer (451). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.

The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (106) are outnumbered by mid-level (4,384) and senior (3,343) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 1,246 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.

Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (531 positions), with 8,478 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.

AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $213,000. Top-quartile roles start at $263,911, and the 90th percentile reaches $318,400. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.

Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $256,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $141,440. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.

The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,649 postings), Aws (898 postings), Azure (723 postings), Rag (671 postings), Gcp (536 postings), Pytorch (434 postings), Claude (410 postings), Kubernetes (406 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on 1,601 roles with disclosed compensation, the median salary for AI Software Engineer positions is $220,000. Actual compensation varies by seniority, location, and company stage.
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
About 6% of the 9,079 AI roles we track offer remote work. Remote availability varies by company and seniority level, with senior and leadership roles more likely to offer location flexibility.
ELITEBRAIN is among the companies actively hiring for AI and ML talent. Check our company profiles for detailed breakdowns of open roles, salary ranges, and hiring trends.
Common next steps from AI Software Engineer positions include Staff Engineer, AI Architect, Engineering Manager. Progression depends on whether you lean toward technical depth, people management, or product strategy.

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