ML Engineer
Micro1 • Remote
Education
PhD
Type
Per task
Pay Rate
$80–$150/task
Actively Hiring
100 openings
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From the Micro1 listing
ML Engineer
Pay: $80–$150/hour Location: Global, fully remote Job Type: Contractor (~15 hours per week) Schedule: Flexible—you choose the hours and days you work, including weekends if desired We are looking for highly skilled Machine Learning Experts to contribute to an AI training project involving model development, training and inference systems, numerical computing, performance optimization, and Python. The work involves creating, solving, reviewing, and validating challenging machine-learning engineering tasks. A representative task may require implementing or modifying a model, constructing a reproducible training or inference workflow, optimizing memory or throughput, debugging numerical or system-level failures, and verifying that the resulting implementation satisfies objective correctness and performance requirements.
This is a very coding heavy role. Candidates but have experience using coding agents with python in their workflow.
What You’ll Work On
- Develop and validate machine-learning models, training pipelines, inference systems, and supporting infrastructure.
- Implement model components, data pipelines, evaluation systems, and numerical methods.
- Build reproducible programmatic workflows using Python and command-line tools.
Required Qualifications
- A master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
- Strong professional or research experience in machine learning.
- Practical proficiency with Python and coding agents. Relevant tools may include:
- PyTorch
- JAX
- NumPy and SciPy
- SGLang
- vLLM
- llama.cpp
- Hugging Face Transformers
- Hugging Face Tokenizers Equivalent tools may also be considered when the candidate demonstrates directly relevant depth. Experience at a well-established technology company, AI laboratory, research organization, or other recognized engineering environment is strongly preferred. Exceptional open-source or academic experience may also qualify.
Process
- Apply to the role and complete the screening questions.
- Complete an AI interview of approximately 30 minutes.
- Complete the hiring manager review.
Compensation Structure
Compensation is output-based. Experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required to complete each task may vary depending on the expert’s experience and workflow. Minimum submission requirements apply.
Start Timeline & Availability
- We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts who are ready to begin immediately. If selected, you will be expected to start your first task within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.
Requirements
- Machine Learning
- Must be eligible to work in Remote
How long hiring takes
Across the AI training platforms we refer candidates to, the median gap between referral and hire is about 30 days. It varies by platform and role, so treat it as a rough guide for this one.
Interview Prep
This listing calls for these tools directly. Prep for the technical screen:
Why this role
This ML Engineer role is aimed at people who work below the high-level API layer: building and debugging training pipelines, tensor operations, tokenization, and inference systems, then optimizing them for latency, memory, and throughput. It pays $100-$150 per task for around 15 flexible hours a week, fully remote. The work includes diagnosing numerical instability and distributed-system failures and reviewing AI-generated ML code for correctness. Micro1 wants engineers or researchers who can describe exactly what they personally built, optimized, or operated, using real tools from the modern ML stack and meaningful hands-on experience.
Skills and categories
Explore other opportunities in related specializations:
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Common questions
Can I apply to Micro1 from outside the US or UK?
Yes. Micro1 accepts applicants from most countries worldwide, unlike DataAnnotation or Outlier, both of which cap access to a handful of English-speaking countries. Most roles still require strong written and spoken English.
Does Micro1 monitor your computer while you work?
On many projects, yes, through time-tracking tools that take periodic screenshots to verify active hours. Check the specific project's requirements before accepting if desktop monitoring is a dealbreaker.
Why do these AI training roles pay so much?
Because general knowledge isn't what's being tested. The model already knows the basics; what it needs is expertise on edge cases, the rare, difficult, highly technical judgment calls only a senior professional in the field would make correctly.
What does the day-to-day workload look like for elite-expert AI training roles?
Slow and deep, not fast and repetitive. A single task can take 45-60 minutes of researching citations or verifying complex calculations. Quality is what's being measured here, not throughput.
What does Software Engineering work look like for a ML Engineer?
Tasks here are scoped to Software Engineering, not generic labeling. As a ML Engineer, expect to draw on real domain judgment (evaluating outputs, correcting errors, or providing expert reasoning specific to Software Engineering) rather than following a one-size-fits-all rubric. If you don't have hands-on Software Engineering background, this is likely not the right listing to start with.
What specific skills does this listing call for?
Machine Learning, Coding, Python, and C++ are named directly in the listing. If you don't have hands-on experience with these, expect the screening process to test for them directly rather than accepting adjacent experience as a substitute.
What does the 'openings' count on this listing mean?
It's Micro1's live count of how many candidates it's still trying to place for this specific role, 100 right now, not a countdown on your individual application. A higher number signals more active demand; it doesn't lower the bar for acceptance.
How much does this specific role pay?
This listing is posted at $80–$150/task, a per-task rate. The range reflects experience level and negotiated terms, not a placeholder, so where you land in it depends on your background and the assessment. Pay can change between when we last checked the listing and when you apply, so confirm the current number on the platform's own application page before committing time.
How does per-task pay translate to an hourly rate?
It doesn't directly, that's the catch. Each task has a listed price and an estimated completion time, but your actual effective rate depends on how fast you work. If a task is estimated at 20 minutes and pays $8, that is $24/hr for a fast worker and $12/hr for a slow one. Track your actual time on the first few tasks before treating the listed rate as your real hourly income.
What happens when I click Apply on this listing?
You'll be taken to Micro1's external site to complete your application there. This listing links through a referral, but the process is identical to applying directly; the link just routes you correctly. Create an account on their site and follow their onboarding steps.
Is a PhD required?
For this specific role, yes, or near-equivalent professional depth. The credential gate is enforced at the assessment stage, not just on paper. That said, active PhD candidates and people with equivalent published research have qualified without a formal degree. The assessment is the real filter.