Mechanical Hardware Design Engineer - Remote Contract
Listing checked September 12, 2026 · pay as published by AfterQuery
Overview
AfterQuery seeks senior mechanical and hardware design experts for a research cohort that tests how frontier AI models handle hard, real-world problems. You will design technical scenarios and reference solutions across CAD, RTL/HDL, and robotics, then judge model outputs for correctness and depth. The work runs on a contract basis at about four hours per week, with remote and asynchronous scheduling. The focus stays on evaluation and research, not production engineering. Your job centers on defining what counts as a correct or excellent answer in your domain.
What You'll Do6
- 1Design realistic technical problems that mirror hard challenges in mechanical and hardware design.
- 2Write expert-level reference solutions that show the correct approach for each problem.
- 3Build grading rubrics that separate acceptable answers from excellent ones.
- 4Review AI-generated outputs for technical accuracy, reasoning depth, and domain judgment.
- 5Flag recurring errors, weak assumptions, or gaps in how models handle your specialty.
- 6Provide structured written feedback that explains why a model answer passes or fails.
Requirements7
- 1Active, hands-on work in mechanical or hardware design now or within the last few years.
- 2Strong written communication for technical explanations and structured feedback.
- 3Ability to work on your own schedule with little synchronous oversight.
- 4Meet the experience and education requirements listed in the full description.
- 5Publications, open-source contributions, or recognized projects in your domain.
- 6Past experience evaluating, reviewing, grading, or editing other engineers' technical work.
- 7Bonus depth in RTL/HDL, CAD, or robotics.
Who Should Apply
Senior mechanical or hardware design engineers who still solve concrete design problems make the best fit. You should enjoy writing clear technical explanations, not just building or simulating. Experience reviewing or grading other people's work helps because the role asks for calibrated judgments on model answers. Candidates often score low when their background is mostly academic with no recent hands-on design. The role is less suitable for engineers who want production work or who need close team collaboration. Weak written samples or no evidence of evaluation experience also lead to rejection.
Salary Insight
The listing sets pay at $100.00 to $170.00 per hour for contract work at four hours per week. That range fits senior specialists who can document deep domain expertise, and it tends to track with a strong research, publication, or evaluation record. Lower offers may go to candidates with solid hands-on design work but less review or writing experience.
Pay and demand for Hardware & Embedded Systems roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$78/hour
This role
$100–$170/hr
Most Hardware & Embedded Systems roles pay $65–$96 per hour. This role's pay sits above that range.
Based on 120 similar roles that publish pay · 11 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
- 125
- Listed in last 30 days
- 76
- Remote
- 98%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (57) · Mercor (24) · Handshake AI (20)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- technical writing19%
- mechanical engineering18%
- python14%
- matlab14%
Figures from Hardware & Embedded Systems 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
$100–170/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Name the exact CAD, RTL/HDL, or robotics tools and projects you have handled, then attach or link one example of technical writing, such as a grading rubric, peer review, or published explanation. Quantify your hands-on design experience and list any publications, open-source repos, or recognized work to match the preferred qualifications.
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