Software Engineer - Backend
micro1 • Remote
Education
Not stated
Type
Hourly
Pay
$50-100/hr
Your rate depends on your experience and the task.
Actively hiring
100 openings
Checked
Only apply if this role fits your skills and interests.
About this role
From the micro1 listing
Opportunity Snapshot
Pay: $50–100 Time per task: 5 hours for trainers and 1.5 hours for reviewers Engagement: Project-based — paid per approved task Commitment: ~15 hours per week Location: Fully remote You’ll need: Hands-on expertise in at least one of Python, Java, Rust, Go, C++, or TypeScript Your tasks: Build challenging coding problems from real repositories, with reproducible environments and verifiers Role Title: Software Engineer - Backend Role Type: Contractor (~15 hrs a week) Location: Remote You’ll create Reinforcement Learning Environments that test a model’s ability to solve real software engineering problems: tracking down subtle bugs, building non-trivial features, refactoring, and optimizing performance. Each task means defining the problem, building a reproducible environment, and writing a reference solution.
Scope of Work
- Create realistic, challenging coding tasks for frontier AI models, drawn from repositories you know well.
- Design problems that require real engineering skill — subtle bugs, non-trivial features, meaningful performance work — not lookup or boilerplate.
- Build a reproducible environment for each task.
- Write deterministic verifiers that accept correct solutions across different valid implementations, while rejecting incorrect, incomplete, or hard-coded approaches.
- Provide a reference solution showing how the task can be solved.
- Flag tasks that turn out to be ambiguous or unverifiable rather than submitting them.
Preferred Qualifications
- Significant hands-on expertise in at least one of: Python3, Java, Rust, Go, C++, or TypeScript.
- Deep understanding of algorithms, data structures, and software engineering principles.
- Proven ability to debug complex systems, resolve bugs, and deliver effective optimizations.
- Experience with large codebase refactoring and legacy system modernization.
- Track record of delivering high-impact features from conception through delivery.
- Strong documentation and communication skills to articulate technical concepts clearly.
- Interest in AI and its technical challenges — previous AI experience not required.
Compensation Structure
Compensation is output-based; experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required may vary depending on your experience and workflow.
Start Timeline & Availability
We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts ready to jump in right away. If selected, we expect you to start your first tasks within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.
How the selection process works
- Apply and complete the screening questions
- Complete the AI interview for this role — it’s how your expertise gets in front of the client
- Profile review
- Onboarding — our Talent Ops team will get you set up
Requirements
- Python3
- JAVA
- Rust
- Algorithms
- Basics C++
- Typescript
- bug fixing
How long hiring takes
On the platforms we refer people to, half of hires came within about 25 days of applying. Time from applying to hire:
Software Engineer interview prep
Questions Software Engineer interviewers often ask. They aren't taken from this listing.
How do you approach designing a system when the requirements are still likely to change?
I design around the parts of the problem I'm confident are stable, like the core data model, and keep the parts most likely to change, like specific business rules, isolated behind clear interfaces. Over-engineering flexibility everywhere just adds complexity to parts of the system that were never going to change.
What's your process for debugging an issue that only reproduces in production, not locally?
I add targeted logging around the suspected area and compare production data or configuration against my local setup, since an issue that's environment-specific usually traces back to a real difference between the two rather than a fundamentally different bug. I avoid making speculative changes without first confirming where the divergence is.
How do you decide when a piece of code needs a test versus when it's low-risk enough to skip?
I prioritize tests for logic with real business consequences if it breaks, or code that's likely to be touched again later by someone unfamiliar with it. Simple, rarely-changed glue code gets less coverage, since the cost of a thorough test there often exceeds the risk it's protecting against.
How do you evaluate a proposed technical solution's trade-offs, like performance versus maintainability?
I start from the actual constraint that matters for this specific system, whether that's genuinely performance-critical or whether maintainability is the bigger long-term cost, rather than defaulting to whichever trade-off I personally prefer. Optimizing for performance the system doesn't need just adds complexity nobody benefits from.
This listing mentions these tools. Brush up before a technical screen:
Key responsibilities
- Create realistic, challenging coding tasks for frontier AI models, drawn from repositories you know well.
- Design problems that require real engineering skill — subtle bugs, non-trivial features, meaningful performance work — not lookup or boilerplate.
- Build a reproducible environment for each task.
- Write deterministic verifiers that accept correct solutions across different valid implementations, while rejecting incorrect, incomplete, or hard-coded approaches.
Why this role
At $50-100/hr, this remote Software Engineer - Backend role doesn't ask you to move or come into an office.
Skills and categories
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Common questions
Can I apply to micro1 from outside the US or UK?
Yes. micro1 accepts applicants from most countries. Most roles need strong written and spoken English.
Does micro1 monitor your computer while you work?
On many projects, yes. Time-tracking tools take screenshots now and then to confirm your hours. Check the project's requirements before you accept it.
Can I choose my own hours?
Usually, yes. You log in when you want, pick up a task, finish it and submit it, with no meetings. Other people work from the same pool of tasks, so some days there may be no work until more is added.
What does Software Engineering work look like for a Software Engineer - Backend?
You check AI answers to Software Engineering questions, correct their errors and write expert reasoning. As a Software Engineer - Backend, you're hired for that judgment, so hands-on Software Engineering experience matters.
What specific skills does this listing call for?
Python3, JAVA, Rust, and Algorithms are named directly in the listing. If you don't have hands-on experience with these, expect the screening to test for them.
What does the 'openings' count on this listing mean?
It's how many people micro1 still wants to hire for this role: 100 when we last checked. A high number means more places to fill. The screening stays the same.
How much does this specific role pay?
This listing is posted at $50-100/hr, an hourly rate. Where you land in the range depends on your background and the assessment. Pay can change after we check the listing, so confirm the rate on the platform's application page.
What happens when I click Apply on this listing?
Apply opens micro1's site, where you create an account and follow its sign-up steps.