Expert Cloud Engineer - Remote AI Contract
Listing checked September 22, 2026 · pay as published by AfterQuery
Overview
AfterQuery needs cloud practitioners to create the infrastructure and automation scenarios that frontier AI labs use to evaluate model judgment. You will work from AWS, Azure, or GCP designs and carry each task through deployment patterns, failure modes and incident response. The contract runs on a commitment of 10 hours per week, with remote and async work, and pays $85 to $165 per hour. Your writing helps models tell the difference between a configuration that succeeds and one that looks correct until it hits production.
What You'll Do4
- 1Build realistic cloud exercises that span architecture planning, deployment, and incident handling.
- 2Draft reference solutions that explain why each architectural choice fits the scenario.
- 3Review model responses for technical accuracy, security posture, and cost impact.
- 4Call out configurations that look valid on paper but would break or waste money in a live environment.
Requirements8
- 12+ years of professional cloud engineering on AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- 2Hands-on infrastructure as code work with Terraform, CloudFormation, or a comparable tool.
- 3Deep knowledge in one or more areas: networking, containers, serverless, or cost optimization.
- 4Clear written English for architecture docs and operational reasoning.
- 5Capacity to commit at least 10 hours each week.
- 6Certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, or GCP Professional.
- 7Kubernetes and container orchestration experience.
- 8Multi-cloud or large-scale migration background.
Who Should Apply
The ideal candidate brings at least two years of cloud engineering work, strong Terraform or CloudFormation habits, and depth in a specialization such as Kubernetes, serverless, networking, or cloud cost control. You should enjoy writing clear architecture notes and explaining tradeoffs behind design choices. This contract suits engineers who want async project work and can protect 10 hours each week. Candidates who only list cloud platforms without concrete IaC examples often score low, and answers that ignore security or cost review miss the bar. The role is less suitable for people seeking full-time staff positions, live troubleshooting shifts, or hands-on build ownership without documentation duties.
Salary Insight
The contract pays $85 to $165 per hour and distributes wages each week through Stripe. For cloud engineering contract work tied to AI labs, this range sits above many standard freelance cloud roles and matches engineers with proven IaC depth plus a specialization in containers, networking, serverless, or cost control.
Pay and demand for Machine Learning & AI roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$75/hour
This role
$85–$165/hr
Most Machine Learning & AI roles pay $55–$100 per hour. This role's pay sits above that range.
Based on 544 similar roles that publish pay · 96 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
- 614
- Listed in last 30 days
- 279
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- 96%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (269) · Mercor (88) · SME Careers (65)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- python17%
- technical writing9%
- llm evaluation8%
- ai evaluation7%
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.
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Compensation
$85–165/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Show one concrete IaC artifact, such as a Terraform module for a VPC or a CloudFormation stack for a serverless API, and explain the security and cost choices in two or three sentences. That matches the grading criteria better than a list of cloud platforms.
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