Data Engineer (UK-Based) for AI Training Project
Listing checked September 5, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
A leading AI lab is running a short, intensive project to capture real-world professional work from expert data engineers. You'll produce the kind of documents and deliverables you normally build on the job, then those outputs become training material for cutting-edge models. The role runs for four weeks starting 14 September 2026, with a full-time commitment of 40 hours per week. Collaboration happens on UK business hours, and you'll work alongside specialists from other technical domains. Bring your strongest engineering judgment, because that judgment is exactly what makes this project valuable.
What You'll Do6
- 1Create professional-grade deliverables from your daily data engineering work, such as pipeline documentation, schema designs, or incident reports.
- 2Collaborate with peers from other technical fields to ensure the outputs represent a realistic cross-section of real-world engineering tasks.
- 3Structure and document your work so it can be turned into evaluation tasks and scoring rubrics for frontier AI systems.
- 4Log your outputs systematically so they feed directly into the training and assessment pipeline.
- 5Work full-time on this project for the entire four-week window, participating in team discussions and reviews during UK business hours.
- 6Adapt your approach to match the specific needs of the project, whether that involves hands-on implementation or detailed write-ups.
Requirements8
- 1Based in the United Kingdom with the legal right to work there (this is non-negotiable).
- 2Hands-on experience building and owning production data pipelines, with titles like Data Engineer, Senior or Staff Data Engineer, Analytics Engineer, Data Platform Engineer, or Data Architect.
- 3Core proficiency in SQL and Python.
- 4Track record with ETL/ELT processes, orchestration, streaming, and data warehousing.
- 5Practical knowledge of tools including Spark, Kafka, Airflow, dbt, Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks.
- 6Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
- 7Ability to commit 40 hours per week from 14 September to 10 October 2026, without conflicting commitments that require significant time.
- 8Willingness to undergo a short domain assessment and provide resume/work history for screening.
Who Should Apply
You're the right fit if you live in the UK and have deep, production-level experience as a data engineer, especially if you've owned pipelines end-to-end. You can talk fluently about trade-offs between Kafka and Kinesis, or when to use dbt vs. a hand-rolled ELT script. You're comfortable both building things and explaining how they work in writing. This role is less suitable for someone who only does theoretical or academic data work without real production exposure, or who juggles multiple client projects. Even a small side gig can be fine, but you shouldn't have a full-time job lined up elsewhere. Candidates often miss this opportunity because they lack the specific stack (e.g., only cloud data warehousing but no orchestration), or they fail to demonstrate how they've solved real pipeline problems in a resume.
Salary Insight
The rate is $140–$200 per hour, which sits at the high end for contract data engineering work, even for a short engagement. For an intensive four-week project, that premium reflects the need for senior-level judgment and the demand for your specific skill set. Pay is discussed during the vetting process, and the rate is confirmed before you commit.
Pay and demand for Machine Learning & AI roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$70/hour
This role
$140–$200/hr
Most Machine Learning & AI roles pay $50–$100 per hour. This role's pay sits above that range.
Based on 679 similar roles that publish pay · 109 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
- 791
- Listed in last 30 days
- 417
- Remote
- 96%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (394) · Mercor (124) · SME Careers (118)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- python14%
- llm evaluation7%
- ai training6%
- quality assurance5%
Figures from Machine Learning & AI roles live on NearSkill when this page loaded. A role can close before you apply, so check the listing itself.
Compare your resume against these rolesLocation
Compensation
$140–200/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
In your resume and initial assessment, be explicit about your production experience: name the exact pipeline tools you've used (e.g., Airflow, dbt, Snowflake) and give a concrete example of a time you optimized a problematic ETL process. Since the project values professional documentation, consider including a short sample of technical writing you've done, like an architecture decision record or a runbook excerpt.
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Your resume is scanned against this role’s requirements to check qualification fit.
2Screened before the employer sees it
Only profiles that clear screening are passed on.
3Outcome by email
We notify you at the address on your resume once the screening is reviewed.
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