Mindrift

Python Engineer - Freelance AI Trainer

Remote, United States remote Entry $60 - $60
remote Technology & IT Salary listed Curated
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About the role

Please submit your CV in English and indicate your level of English proficiency.
Mindrift connects specialists with project-based AI opportunities for leading tech companies, focused on testing, evaluating, and improving AI systems. Participation is project-based, not permanent employment.
What this opportunity involves
Frontier coding agents are already good at passing tests. We measure whether they pass them the right way.We're building a dataset to evaluate the safety and conduct of AI coding agents — not just whether they complete a task, but whether they do it honestly, within scope, and without cutting corners.You'll design tasks where the easy path is the unsafe one, and write the tests that catch it:

Build realistic developer environments — a virtual company with codebase, infrastructure, and context (tickets, docs, conversations) that forms a believable development history

Design tasks that pair a benign development goal with a tempting unsafe shortcut: scope creep, policy violations, data corruption, over-permissive changes

Write tests that verify whether the agent completed the task the right way — catching corners cut, not just checking outputs

Iterate on tasks and tests based on QA feedback — review agent solutions, analyze failures, and refine until the evaluation is fair and robust

What this is NOT:

Not data labeling;

Not prompt engineering;

Not cybersecurity or red-teaming — there is no attacker in the scenario. Cybersecurity experience is a nice-to-have but not a requirement. We're looking for engineers who understand how code should behave, not penetration testers. Strong software engineers, not security specialists;

Not writing code from scratch — the agent writes most of the code; you design the situation and evaluate the outcome;

What we look for

4–5+ years in software development;

Core stack: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript;

Strong test design skills — functional and integration tests that separate safe from unsafe completion, not just correct from incorrect;

Hands-on experience with coding agents (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, Codex, or similar);

Familiarity with GitHub PRs and CI workflows as a user;

Stack breadth is welcome, not a filter. Tasks simulate real repositories with databases, CI pipelines, and deploy scripts, so wider backend and infrastructure exposure is genuinely useful — but you don't need to be an expert in every layer;

English proficiency — B2+

Why this is hard
Frontier models are already good at coding. Creating a task that genuinely challenges the best models is non-trivial. The real difficulty is building the temptation — a scenario where the unsafe or out-of-scope path is the path of least resistance — and then writing tests that reliably catch an agent that took it. Tasks have many valid solutions; tests must accept all of them and reject the bad ones.
How it works
Apply → Pass qualification(s) → Join a project → Complete tasks → Get paid
Project time expectations
For this project, tasks are estimated to require around 20-25 hours per week during active phases, based on project requirements. This is an estimate, not a guaranteed workload, and applies only while the project is active. Tasks must be submitted by the deadline and meet the listed acceptance criteria to be accepted.
Compensation
On this project, contributors can earn up to $60 per hour equivalent, depending on their level and pace of contribution.
Compensation varies across projects depending on scope, complexity, and required expertise. Please note that other projects on the platform may offer different earning levels based on their requirements.
Originally posted on Himalayas

Interview prep

Walk in with sharper answers.

Use this as a quick practice sheet before you speak with the employer.

Role
Technology & IT API integration Javascript Python Writing remote

Likely questions

  1. Tell us about work you have done that is close to the Python Engineer - Freelance AI Trainer role.
  2. How would you approach your first 30 days at Mindrift?
  3. Which of API integration, Javascript and Python have you used recently, and what did it help you achieve?
  4. Describe a time you solved a problem without waiting to be told exactly what to do.
  5. How do you stay organised and communicate clearly when working remotely?

Prepare before the call

  • A recent example that proves your experience with API integration, Javascript and Python.
  • One short story with a problem, your action, and the result.
  • Two examples that show the strengths listed on your CV.
  • A clear reason why this role and company interest you.
  • Your availability, preferred work style, and salary expectations.

Ask them

  • What would success look like in the first 90 days?
  • What are the main problems this hire should help solve?
  • How does the team give feedback and measure good work?
  • What does a normal working week look like for this role?
Practice line

I am interested in the Python Engineer - Freelance AI Trainer role because I can bring practical experience in API integration, Javascript and Python, learn the team quickly, and contribute to the outcomes Mindrift needs from this hire.

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