Expert Hardware / RTL Engineer at Mercor

Expert Hardware / RTL Engineer | $110–190/hr | Worldwide Remote

A leading AI research organization is seeking seasoned hardware engineers with deep RTL expertise in SystemVerilog and/or Verilog to evaluate how advanced AI systems perform in specialized engineering domains. Your assessments will directly shape how cutting-edge AI learns to operate in hardware design — a rare and critically underrepresented field in AI research.

What You'll Do

• Apply your RTL expertise to evaluate complex technical tasks against real-world professional standards
• Review intricate code-level scenarios and deliver precise, structured written assessments
• Work inside containerized repositories (Docker), running and interpreting programmatic and CI-style checks to validate engineering environments
• Provide clear written rationales explaining your expert judgments
• Complete well-defined, time-bounded tasks with explicit evaluation criteria

Who We're Looking For

• 5+ years of professional or research RTL experience in SystemVerilog or Verilog
• Hands-on depth in RTL design, testbench/UVM verification, FPGA or ASIC development, and EDA toolchains (Vivado, Quartus, Synopsys, Cadence)
• Comfort working in Linux/Docker-based environments and interpreting automated CI checks — or the ability to ramp up quickly
• Ability to articulate not just what code does, but why it is correct or idiomatic, clearly in writing
• Backgrounds in semiconductor, telecom, defense/aerospace, national labs, or academia are all welcome — a GitHub profile is not required

Engagement Details

• Compensation: $110–190/hour, based on depth and experience
• Expected commitment: 20–40 hours/week
• Task flow is variable — work arrives in waves with potential gaps between batches; flexibility including weekend availability is appreciated
• No proprietary tooling required — all tasks are completable without employer-provided systems

Single-language specialists are strongly encouraged to apply. Your expertise is rare, and this is an opportunity to directly influence the future of AI in hardware engineering.