Software Engineer II at Mercor

Software Engineer II | $70–95/hr | Menlo Park, CA

A prestigious tech company is looking for a Software Engineer II to join their Safe Ads Experiences (SAE) team. You'll play a key role in building SPECTRA, a next-generation data collection platform shaping how human-labeled data is gathered and used across the company's systems. This is a high-impact role at the intersection of responsible advertising, user data privacy, and public trust.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical implementation and testing of complex data pipeline features within the SPECTRA platform, ensuring robust end-to-end functionality and on-time delivery
• Design and develop data processing pipelines using SQL and Python to handle large-scale data collection, transformation, and quality monitoring workflows
• Build and maintain dashboards and visualization tools to surface data quality, rater performance, and platform metrics for cross-functional stakeholders
• Create comprehensive end-to-end tests and monitoring alerts to ensure platform reliability, data integrity, and proactive issue detection
• Debug and troubleshoot complex data flow issues across SPECTRA, identifying root causes and implementing lasting solutions
• Collaborate with Technical Leads and engineering teams to implement backend data processing logic aligned with development best practices
• Partner with Product Data Operations (PDO) teams on human labeling workflows, budget planning, vendor management, and rater performance optimization
• Work with Taxonomists and Data Labeling Analysts to ensure proper data classification, labeling guidelines, and quality assurance
• Coordinate with vendor partners to support external data collection operations and seamless SPECTRA integration
• Support smart sampling and targeted data collection strategies that drive cost savings and improve data quality

Required Qualifications

• Strong experience in SQL — complex queries, data transformations, and large-scale production datasets
• Proficiency in Python for data processing, automation, and pipeline development using OOP principles
• Experience with data engineering pipelines including ETL processes, data modeling, and scalable workflow design
• Hands-on experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau or similar platforms
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a track record of debugging complex data issues
• Experience with data quality monitoring and automated testing frameworks

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or a related field
• Machine Learning experience including ML training data requirements, feature engineering, and model evaluation
• Experience building and scaling large-scale products or systems
• Background in privacy and/or ads-related product development
• Experience with human labeling and annotation systems, including workflow design and vendor management
• Prior experience with the client company or its internal tools is a plus

This role is employed through Cincinnatus, an enterprise staffing company serving as the employer of record. Employment includes W-2 status, payroll, benefits, and compliance support. Cincinnatus is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace.