Backend Engineer and Devops Engineer - Microservices

Mercor is hiring on behalf of a leading AI lab for an experienced Backend & DevOps Engineer to design, build, and scale microservices-based infrastructure that powers next-generation AI systems. You’ll own both core backend services and infrastructure automation, ensuring distributed systems are fast, reliable, and secure. This position blends software engineering, DevOps, and system design, working closely with research and engineering teams to deliver production-grade, scalable AI infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop high-performance, fault-tolerant microservices.

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, deployment workflows, and infrastructure-as-code.

• Manage Kubernetes clusters, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), and container orchestration.

• Implement monitoring, observability, and security best practices.

• Collaborate with backend and AI teams to optimize system performance and reliability.

• Continuously improve automation, deployment speed, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in backend engineering and/or DevOps roles.

• Strong understanding of microservices architecture and API design.

• Proficiency in Go, Python, Node.js, or Java.

• Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud environments (AWS/GCP).

• Familiarity with Terraform, Helm, ArgoCD, or GitHub Actions.

• Experience with databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis) and message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ, NATS).

• Solid grasp of monitoring stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) and CI/CD principles.

Bonus Points

• Experience in AI/ML infrastructure or large-scale distributed systems.

• Contributions to open-source DevOps or backend frameworks.

• Knowledge of GitOps, serverless, or edge computing.

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.