Senior Software Engineer (Agentic Coding RL Environments)

About Surge AISurge AI partners with the world's leading AI labs to build the benchmarks and RL environments that train and evaluate frontier models. Most benchmarks cut corners because expert humans are expensive. Our model is the opposite: we pay experts enough that we don't have to.PositionSenior Software Engineer (Agentic Coding RL Environments)TypeContractCompensation$100–150+/hour ($200–300k+/year). Rates scale with your experience, and many go past the top of that range.Location:Fully remote, any time zoneRole ResponsibilitiesBuild coding RL environments and benchmarks that test how agents perform on realistic software engineering tasksDesign tasks based on real engineering workReview and red-team model output to surface meaningful failuresWrite the tests, rubrics, and success criteria that separate good work from slopGive structured feedback that improves future modelsQualifications (Must-Have)Professional software engineering experience shipping real, scaled production systemsExpertise in at least one common tech stack (TypeScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, Rust, Go, or C++)Strong judgment about what "good code" and a "meaningful model failure" look likeComfort working independently, and giving direct, code-review-style feedbackAvailability for a meaningful commitment (most contributors work 20 to 40+ hours per week)NoteYou do not need prior AI or ML experience. Strong engineering judgment and attention to detail matter most.What Makes This DifferentNo managers, 1:1s, OKR ceremonies, or Jira backlog groomingYou choose when and where you workYou are judged on the quality of what you produce, not speedApplication ProcessCoding capability screen (replaces a multi-round interview loop)ID verificationBackground checkPaid first real task. Do well, and you're on the team.Questions?:Email swe@surgehq.ai