Competitive Data Scientist
Listing checked October 16, 2026 · pay as published by Micro1
Overview
This role centers on building data science and machine learning tasks that go beyond surface-level answers. You will create reproducible environments, write reference solutions, and design checks that separate correct work from flawed approaches. The position is fully remote and global, with a contractor schedule of about 15 hours per week that you control, including weekends if you prefer. Your competition background from platforms like Kaggle or DrivenData will directly shape how you stress-test coding agents and refine tasks based on their failures.
What You'll Do6
- 1Set up reproducible environments with the right data and dependencies, then implement reference solutions for each task.
- 2Write tests and evaluation criteria that catch incomplete or incorrect solutions while confirming valid ones.
- 3Run coding agents on tasks, dig into their failures, and adjust the tasks based on what you observe.
- 4Spot implementation errors, bad assumptions, data leakage, and other problems that undermine correctness.
- 5Document task requirements, the reasoning behind solutions, and the steps used to verify them.
- 6Review agent behavior to find gaps in task design and improve clarity for future runs.
Requirements6
- 1Proven experience in data science, ML, quantitative modeling, or research competitions such as Kaggle, DrivenData, Zindi, AIcrowd, Numerai, DataSource.ai, or CodaLab/Codabench.
- 2Strong problem-solving skills and a clear grasp of the methods you apply.
- 3Practical programming ability to implement and verify your own solutions.
- 4Comfort with Python, including testing, debugging, and navigating unfamiliar code.
- 5Ability to design evaluation criteria that reliably distinguish correct from flawed approaches.
- 6Attention to detail when identifying data leakage, flawed assumptions, or implementation errors.
Who Should Apply
Data scientists, ML practitioners, and applied math experts who have competed on Kaggle or similar platforms and can turn that experience into rigorous, reproducible tasks. You should be comfortable writing Python, debugging unfamiliar code, and explaining your reasoning in writing.
Salary Insight
The rate for this contractor role is $60 to $120 per hour. No other compensation details are provided in the source.
Pay and demand for Data Engineering roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$70/hour
This role
$60–$120/hr
Most Data Engineering roles pay $40–$98 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
Based on 1,058 similar roles that publish pay · 302 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave
Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.
- Live similar roles
- 1,220
- Listed in last 30 days
- 462
- Remote
- 98%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (356) · SME Careers (254) · Mercor (146)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- ai training13%
- llm evaluation11%
- ai evaluation11%
- data annotation9%
Figures from Data Engineering roles live on NearSkill when this page loaded. A role can close before you apply, so check the listing itself.
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Compensation
$60–120/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Highlight specific competition results, such as your Kaggle rank or medal, and link to a notebook or solution write-up that shows how you handled data leakage or built reproducible pipelines. Mention Python testing and debugging examples to demonstrate you can verify your own work.
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