Requirements
Requires 3+ years of production software development in a backend stack (Python, Go, Node.js, Java, or Rust) with strong Python and pytest fluency. Must have experience with Docker authoring, Linux, Bash, and interacting with AI coding agents. B2+ written English proficiency is mandatory.
Description
Job description / Role
Job Type
Full Time
Job Location
UAE
Nationality
Any Nationality
Salary
Not Specified
Gender
Not Specified
Arabic Fluency
Not Specified
Job Function
IT - Software & Web Development
Company Industry
Software & Internet Services
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.
About the role
You’ll design coding tasks that challenge frontier AI coding agents. Each task is a self-contained Docker environment with a broken piece of software; an AI agent attempts the fix; automated tests verify the outcome. Your deliverable is the full task package: broken code, tests, instructions, and a reference solution proving the task is solvable.
Responsibilities:
Invent a realistic developer scenario — a real bug, a broken ETL, a missing feature — not a toy problem.
Build a reproducible Docker environment with pinned dependencies.
Write a pytest that verifies outcomes, not specific commands — deterministic, non-flaky, and does not leak the fix.
Write an instruction.md that reads like a Jira ticket a developer would receive.
Write a reference solve.sh proving the task is solvable.
Calibrate difficulty so current state-of-the-art agents solve the task 20–60% of the time.
Iterate based on feedback from expert QA reviewers.
Later: review other authors’ tasks as a QA reviewer.
Not in scope
Data labeling, prompt engineering.
Production code to ship — you design problems and verification for AI agents.
Leetcode puzzles — scenarios must look like real developer work.
Not every candidate task ships — quality over quantity.
Requirements
3+ years of production software development in one backend stack — Python, Go, Node.js, Java, or Rust. Depth in one stack beats breadth.
Python + pytest fluency — required regardless of primary stack. The task harness is pytest-based even when the broken app is in another language. Fixtures, parametrize, monkeypatch, timeouts, conftest.py.
Docker authoring — reproducible Dockerfiles, pinned dependencies, multi-stage builds when needed, non-root user.
Linux & Bash — comfort debugging inside containers (strace, lsof, journalctl); shell beyond set -euo pipefail.
AI coding agent experience — Claude Code, Cursor, Roo Code, or similar, on non-trivial work. You can cite a specific time the AI was confidently wrong and how you caught it.
English — B2+ written.
Not a fit
Data science, ML, or computer vision engineers without backend-engineering output.
Manual QA testers without automation or test authoring.
Frontend-only, low-code/no-code, IT support, or business analysts.
Engineers who have never written pytest from scratch.
Junior, intern, or assistant as the most recent role.
Preferred qualifications
Domain depth in security, system administration (nginx / systemd / cron), scientific computing (NumPy / PyTorch / SciPy), DevOps, or Git internals.
Modern Python tooling (uv, poetry, pyproject.toml).
Coverage tooling (pytest-cov, coverage.py, gcov, llvm-cov, kcov).
Fuzzing or property-based testing (Hypothesis).
Prior contribution to agent-evaluation benchmarks or related frameworks.
Process
Apply? Pass qualification (90-minute sample-task screen + short behavioral interview)? Join a project? Complete tasks? Get paid.
Time commitment
Onboarding: ~10 hours per first task.
Steady state: ~5 hours per task, 2–4 parallel tasks per author.
Realistic weekly load: 8–20 hours. Higher volume available for top performers.
You choose when and how to contribute; tasks must be submitted by the deadline and meet acceptance criteria.
Compensation:
Paid contributions, rates up to $35/hour*.
Task-based compensation equivalent to hourly rate, depending on performance and volume.
Some projects include incentive payments.
*Rates vary based on expertise, skills assessment, location, project needs, and other factors. Higher rates may be provided to highly specialized experts. Lower rates may apply during onboarding or non-core project phases. Payment details are shared per project.
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