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About the Role
Applications close Friday, October 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific. We are selecting the first three applicants who qualify for the initial pilot. Build real-world tasks that test how well AI agents handle database engineering. Depending on your specialty, your task may cover database-engine implementation, production diagnosis, or application migration. Each task should include a clear problem statement, a reproducible repository or environment, a working reference solution, tests, and grading criteria that distinguish a robust engineering solution from one that only appears correct.
What You'll Do
Design one challenging, self-contained database engineering task.
Build checks for correctness, failure handling, concurrency, retries, and regressions where relevant.
Evaluate performance measures such as latency, throughput, and memory use.
Write clear grading criteria for engineering judgment.
Work with technical reviewers to refine and validate the task.
Who we're looking for
At least five years of hands-on database-engine internals experience, or a database-systems PhD.
Deep experience with storage engines, query execution, optimization, transactions, replication, or related low-latency systems.
Independent contractor engagement. Apply via the link below - Mercor handles onboarding and pays weekly via Stripe or Wise.
Common Questions
Mercor has a reliability rating of very reliable based on the listings we track, with an onboarding time of 1-3 weeks (interview + assessment + trial). See our full Mercor review for the details behind that rating.
Applying takes you to Mercor's own website, where the application is completed. We are not a recruiter or employer and do not process applications directly - we may be recorded as the referring source.
$2200/task - Independent contractor engagement. Apply via the link below - Mercor handles onboarding and pays weekly via Stripe or Wise.
Design one challenging, self-contained database engineering task. Build checks for correctness, failure handling, concurrency, retries, and regressions where relevant. Evaluate performance measures such as latency, throughput, and memory use.
