Performance Engineer

About the job Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark , General Catalyst , Peter Thiel , Adam D'Angelo , Larry Summers , and Jack Dorsey . Position: Performance Engineer (C++, Python, Rust) — IN Type: Contract Compensation: $35–$45/hour Location: Remote Commitment: 40 hours/week Role Responsibilities Guide research and engineering teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance in systems-level optimization, compiler engineering, and runtime performance topics. Design challenging, domain-relevant tasks across multiple specializations and write accurate, well-structured solutions to performance engineering problems. Evaluate performance engineering tasks and solutions and provide clear, written technical feedback. Develop guidelines and detailed rubrics/evaluation frameworks to assess systems design quality across AI workloads . Collaborate with other subject matter experts to ensure consistency and accuracy in training data. Qualifications Must-Have 2+ years of dedicated professional experience in performance engineering, systems programming, or low-level optimization. Deep hands-on expertise in at least one of the following: C++, Python, or Rust . Demonstrable track record of measurable performance improvements on production systems. Ability to engage reliably for at least 30 hours/week during weekdays. Strong written communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly. Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete) Upload resume AI interview based on your resume Submit form Resources & Support For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome For any help or support, reach out to: support@mercor.com PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.