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OpenTrainPhDMaster's

Chief Engineer / Senior Mechanical Engineer

Design realistic projects that cover mechanical design, engineering analysis, manufacturing, and testing. You will turn project goals into clear requirements, constraints, tasks, and ways to judge whether the work meets its goals.

Field
Engineering
Where
United States, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh +46 more
Commitment
part time
Asks for
PhD, Master's
Posted
7 days ago

Pay data for your profession: Engineering AI trainer jobs · PhD AI trainer jobs

How this pay compares

At $250/hr (the midpoint of $200 to $300), this role pays more than 99% of the 207 open engineering roles with a listed pay range, above the median of $80.

Open engineering roles that ask for a PhD have a median of $94/hr (34 roles).

Among platforms with 10 or more priced engineering roles, Mercor has the highest median ($88/hr across 35 roles) and micro1 the lowest ($60/hr across 28).

OpenTrain AI roles that closed since late October stayed listed a median of 31 days (122 roles). OpenTrain AI posted this one 7 days ago.

Computed from 2,746 open roles we track across Mercor, micro1, Handshake AI, Alignerr, Appen and OpenTrain AI, refreshed daily. Midpoints of listed ranges; “up to” ceilings are left out of medians.

What you would earn at this rate

Per week, before tax

$3,750

Per month, if the work is steady

$16,250

Tax
Contract pay arrives with no tax withheld. A US contractor at this rate and these hours would set aside about $4,108 a month for self-employment tax plus federal income tax at the 12% bracket (25%, before state tax). Outside the US, your own country's rules apply.

Assumes paid hours only; unpaid assessments, onboarding and gaps between projects lower the real figure. Full take-home calculator · Track what you actually earn

Open engineering roles on each platform

The same kind of work, priced on every platform we track, with the best-paid open role on each.

PlatformOpenMedianBest-paid open role
Mercor36$88/hrInfrastructure / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)$200/hr
OpenTrain AIthis role132$85/hrPrincipal / Lead Systems Engineer for AI Training$150-300/hr
Alignerr14$61/hrRobotics Technician$40-120/hr
micro129$60/hrMember of Technical Staff, Research Engineering$400k-800k/yr
Handshake AI52up to $85/hrEngineering LeadUp to $195/hr

“Up to” rows list only ceilings, so their median is a maximum, not comparable with the range midpoints above them.

All 263 open engineering roles →

The full listing

As posted on OpenTrain AI. See the original

The work

Design realistic projects that cover mechanical design, engineering analysis, manufacturing, and testing. You will turn project goals into clear requirements, constraints, tasks, and ways to judge whether the work meets its goals.

  • Coordinate work across relevant engineering disciplines.
  • Break complex problems into connected tasks with clear inputs, deliverables, dependencies, and responsibilities.
  • Support technical checks through testing and root-cause analysis.

What it pays and takes

  • Pay: $200 to $300 per hour.
  • Work type: Contractor, part-time.
  • Location: Open to candidates in countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
  • Language: English proficiency at B2 level or higher.
  • Required: Substantial professional experience as a Chief Engineer, Senior Mechanical Engineer, or comparable technical leader.
  • Required: Experience leading complex projects across multiple engineering disciplines.
  • Required: Strong mechanical design and engineering analysis skills, plus practical knowledge of design for manufacture and assembly, technical verification, testing, and root-cause analysis.
  • Helpful: A master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field; experience with CAD, finite element analysis, or other engineering simulation tools; or experience taking projects from concept through design, manufacturing, testing, and delivery.
  • Helpful: Experience in aerospace, automotive, robotics, industrial equipment, energy, medical devices, or another complex engineering field.

How it works

You apply here in about two minutes and finish on the hiring platform. The next step is a short AI interview (technical roles include a coding challenge). Passing it is how you qualify for paid tasks, so take it soon after you are invited.

The hiring platform's application for this job asks for your resume, your LinkedIn profile, your phone number, your location and answers to 7 screening questions.

About AI training work

AI training uses examples and expert reviews to help AI systems learn; this role turns engineering workflows into tasks and evaluation criteria. Experienced engineers are needed because the work depends on practical design, analysis, and testing knowledge. OpenTrain is a free platform where people find AI training roles and start applications.

From applying to your first payment on OpenTrain AI

  1. 1

    Create a profile

    Create a free OpenTrain profile with your domains, languages and hourly rate.

  2. 2

    Apply

    Apply to the listing. Some listings hire through OpenTrain; others send you to the hiring platform.

  3. 3

    Funded milestones

    The client funds each milestone before work starts.

  4. 4

    First payment

    OpenTrain pays out to your connected payout method when the client approves the milestone. It doesn't publish a fixed payout schedule.

Sources: OpenTrain: AI training careers, OpenTrain docs: invoicing and payouts

Full OpenTrain AI profile: watch-outs and the public record →

Pay history

OpenTrain AI has listed this role at $200-300/hr since Nov 4, 2026 with no change.

Across OpenTrain AI's engineering roles, the median listed pay was $69/hr on Nov 1, 2026 (50 roles) and is $85/hr as of Nov 11, 2026 (130 roles).

What workers report about OpenTrain AI

Anonymous reports from people who applied or worked there: whether they got work, what they were paid and how fast.

Other engineering roles

All 263 engineering roles →