Expert Software Engineer (Scala/COBOL/ABAP) at Mercor

Expert Software Engineer (Scala / COBOL / ABAP / Verilog / Fortran / Slang) | $120–$200/hr | Worldwide Remote

A leading AI research organization is seeking highly experienced software engineers with deep, hands-on expertise in one or more specialized programming languages to contribute to a high-impact technical evaluation initiative. Your domain knowledge will directly shape how cutting-edge AI systems perform in some of the most critical and underrepresented areas of software engineering.

Single-language specialists are strongly encouraged to apply — you do not need experience across multiple languages to qualify.

What You'll Do

• Apply deep language expertise to evaluate complex technical tasks and real-world scenarios against professional standards
• Review intricate code-level situations and provide precise, structured written assessments
• Assess technical outputs as a senior practitioner — evaluating correctness, idiomatic usage, and ecosystem-specific conventions
• Provide clear written rationales explaining your expert judgments
• Complete well-defined, time-bounded tasks with clear evaluation criteria

Languages & Ecosystems

• Scala — Functional/OOP JVM development; Apache Spark, Akka, Cats, or ZIO; financial services or data engineering
• COBOL — IBM mainframe (z/OS); JCL, CICS, VSAM, DB2; banking, insurance, or federal government systems
• ABAP — SAP R/3 or S/4HANA; Workbench tools; BAPIs, BADIs, Enhancement Spots; enterprise ERP environments
• Verilog / SystemVerilog — RTL design for FPGA or ASIC; EDA toolchains (Vivado, Quartus, Synopsys, Cadence); hardware, telecom, or defense
• Fortran — Modern Fortran (90/95/2003+); MPI/OpenMP; HPC clusters; scientific computing, climate modeling, or CFD
• Slang — GPU shader and graphics programming; DirectX, Vulkan, or CUDA workflows; NVIDIA Falcor or similar frameworks

Ideal Candidate

• 5+ years of professional or research experience in their primary language
• Applied experience in a real production, enterprise, or research context
• Ability to articulate not just what code does, but why certain patterns are correct or idiomatic
• Clear, precise technical communication in writing
• A GitHub profile is not required — non-traditional digital footprints are welcome

Engagement Details

• Compensation: $120–$200/hour based on language, domain, and experience
• Fully remote — work from anywhere worldwide
• No proprietary tooling required — tasks are designed to be completed without employer-provided systems (no SAP license or mainframe access needed)

These languages underpin critical global infrastructure in banking, enterprise ERP, semiconductor design, scientific computing, and GPU graphics — yet remain among the least-represented domains in AI research. Your expertise is rare, and your contributions will have lasting, meaningful impact.