Principal Engineer / Professor Technical Expert
You will create and evaluate difficult technical problems that test whether AI systems can reason through real engineering and physical science work. Problems should use realistic constraints, supporting data, and technical judgment rather than rely on a textbook answer.
- Field
- Engineering
- Where
- United States, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh +46 more
- Commitment
- part time
- Asks for
- PhD, Master's
- Posted
- 11 days ago
Pay data for your profession: Engineering AI trainer jobs · PhD AI trainer jobs
How this pay compares
At $135/hr (the midpoint of $85 to $185), this role pays more than 93% 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 11 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
$2,025
Per month, if the work is steady
$8,775
- Tax
- Contract pay arrives with no tax withheld. A US contractor at this rate and these hours would set aside about $2,218 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.
| Platform | Open | Median | Best-paid open role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor | 36 | $88/hr | Infrastructure / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)$200/hr |
| OpenTrain AIthis role | 132 | $85/hr | Chief Engineer / Senior Mechanical Engineer$200-300/hr |
| Alignerr | 14 | $61/hr | Robotics Technician$40-120/hr |
| micro1 | 29 | $60/hr | Member of Technical Staff, Research Engineering$400k-800k/yr |
| Handshake AI | 52 | up to $85/hr | Engineering 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
You will create and evaluate difficult technical problems that test whether AI systems can reason through real engineering and physical science work. Problems should use realistic constraints, supporting data, and technical judgment rather than rely on a textbook answer.
You will also review other contributors’ work, check whether solutions are technically sound, and identify problems that are ambiguous or cannot be graded consistently.
- Design challenging problems in your engineering or physical science specialty.
- Provide a correct solution with clear reasoning that another expert can verify.
- Set objective criteria so reviewers can reach consistent correctness decisions.
- Review submitted problems for technical accuracy and sound methods.
- Flag problems that are unclear or cannot be graded reliably.
What it pays and takes
This is flexible, fully remote, part-time contractor work for experienced technical professionals. The role supports contributions alongside your current work.
- Pay: $85 to $185 per hour.
- Work arrangement: Fully remote, flexible, part-time contractor role.
- Location: Open to candidates in the countries listed for this role across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
- Language: Professional fluency in English.
- Education: A master's or PhD in engineering, physics, materials, or a closely related field.
- Experience: Principal-, staff-, or fellow-level hands-on ownership of technical work at a major engineering organization or national lab, or a faculty appointment at a leading university.
- Expertise: Deep knowledge in at least one relevant engineering or physical science area.
- Skills: Strong technical judgment, clear explanations, and the ability to validate solutions.
- Helpful background: Publications, patents, or technical leadership showing practical ownership of complex engineering or scientific work.
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 is the human work behind modern AI systems, including writing and reviewing problems, rating model answers, and checking whether outputs are correct. People with deep technical expertise help define the difficult examples and reliable standards that AI systems need to improve.
From applying to your first payment on OpenTrain AI
- 1
Create a profile
Create a free OpenTrain profile with your domains, languages and hourly rate.
- 2
Apply
Apply to the listing. Some listings hire through OpenTrain; others send you to the hiring platform.
- 3
Funded milestones
The client funds each milestone before work starts.
- 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 $85-185/hr since Nov 1, 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.
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