Machine Learning Expert (Remote, Part-Time)
Listing checked September 16, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
Mercor runs a standing pool for machine learning practitioners who provide the expert judgment that frontier AI research teams cannot produce on their own. Your standards become the rubric that grades model outputs. Projects are remote and part-time, and clients set rates from $70 to $120 per hour based on scope and depth. Work can involve writing a modeling problem from a system you shipped, checking training and evaluation code that models produce for loss-objective alignment and eval leakage, or catching an approach that would train without error but fail in production because of distribution shift, label noise, or a metric that rewards the wrong behavior.
What You'll Do6
- 1Write a modeling problem from a system you shipped, covering the dataset, objective, constraints, and the reference answer that anchors grading of a model's attempt.
- 2Review training and evaluation code that models produce, checking whether the loss matches the objective, whether the eval set leaks, and whether an ablation supports the stated conclusion.
- 3Flag model proposals that would train without error but fail in production when distribution shift, label noise, or a misleading metric enters the picture.
- 4Explain your reasoning in writing for every judgment, because project teams rely on that written record.
- 5Raise unclear instructions or ambiguous task specs instead of guessing what a client wants.
- 6Grade model attempts against the rubric you helped define.
Requirements5
- 1Professional experience training, evaluating, or deploying machine learning systems.
- 2Strong written communication, since most work requires explaining technical reasoning to others.
- 3Comfort with ambiguous tasks and a habit of flagging unclear instructions.
- 4A track record of putting models in front of real users and dealing with the results.
- 5Where you trained carries less weight than evidence that you have handled real production feedback.
Who Should Apply
People who fit this pool have trained, evaluated, or deployed machine learning systems in a professional setting and can write clear explanations of their technical choices. They handle incomplete task specs with patience and ask questions when instructions leave room for doubt. The role suits practitioners who want part-time, project-based AI training and evaluation work rather than a fixed full-time job. Candidates who need a defined start date or a single client assignment may find the standing listing frustrating, since no immediate opening is guaranteed. Weak written reasoning and a lack of production experience are the most common reasons applicants score low for this kind of work, and vague claims about model work without shipped examples also hurt.
Salary Insight
Projects in this pool have posted rates of $70 to $120 per hour, and the client sets the exact figure per project based on scope and depth. That range matches senior machine learning contracting work, where pay reflects the difficulty of the modeling question and the review load. Mercor does not pay a base salary outside project hours, so your earnings depend on how many projects match your background and how many hours each one offers.
Pay and demand for Machine Learning & AI roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$75/hour
This role
$70–$120/hr
Most Machine Learning & AI roles pay $55–$100 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
Based on 513 similar roles that publish pay · 90 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
- 570
- Listed in last 30 days
- 253
- Remote
- 97%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (262) · Mercor (79) · SME Careers (60)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- python17%
- technical writing9%
- llm evaluation8%
- data annotation7%
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
$70–120/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Apply with a resume that names the models you put in front of users, the metrics you tracked, and what changed after deployment. Complete the short AI interview and join every network you qualify for. Those steps raise your odds of matching a project. A concrete example of catching a model flaw, such as an eval leak or a metric that rewarded the wrong behavior, gives reviewers a stronger signal than a list of coursework.
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