Database Systems Evaluation Expert at Mercor

Database Systems Evaluation Expert | $2200/hr | Remote | Task-based

Build a real-world task that tests how well AI agents handle database engineering. Depending on your specialty, your task may cover database-engine implementation, production diagnosis, or application migration. Applications close Friday, October 9, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific; the first three qualifying applicants will be selected for the initial pilot.

What you'll do

• Design one challenging, self-contained database engineering task with a clear problem statement, a reproducible repository or environment, a working reference solution, tests, and grading criteria that distinguish a robust engineering solution from one that only appears correct.
• Build checks for correctness, failure handling, concurrency, retries, and regressions where relevant.
• Evaluate performance measures such as latency, throughput, and memory use.
• Write clear grading criteria for engineering judgment.
• Work with technical reviewers to refine and validate the task.

Who we're looking for

• At least five years of hands-on database-engine internals experience, or a database-systems PhD.
• Deep experience with storage engines, query execution, optimization, transactions, replication, or related low-latency systems.
• Strong implementation skills and clear explanations of correctness and performance tradeoffs.

DBA, SQL analytics, ETL, or application-only database experience does not qualify on its own. You do not need to specialize in every task area.

Pay and schedule

The role is task-based at $2200/hr. Selected experts will complete one task, with approximately 25 hours of work, followed by technical review and feedback. Task deadline: Tuesday, October 13, 2026. If the pilot fills, completed assessments may be considered for future work if the project expands.

Application process

Complete a self-paced technical assessment (~25 min) with recorded verbal responses and a coding exercise. You control when to advance between sections. Use a laptop or desktop with a camera, microphone, and entire-screen sharing. Have your own editor and terminal ready, along with Python 3.8+ and a compiler for C, C++, Rust, Go, or Java. The assessment includes a starter kit and public tests. Complete the assessment independently, without outside AI assistance. Please apply as soon as possible, as only the first three qualifying applicants will be selected.