Network Engineer (with Programming) – Data & AI Systems

Are you a Level 3 / Tier 3 network support engineer who also enjoys scripting or programming — and is curious about how data powers intelligent systems? Our client is building vertically integrated networking systems and leveraging the data they generate to power the next generation of autonomous infrastructure.

They're looking for the engineers who keep existing infrastructure online and stable — the ones owning final escalations, dissecting packet captures, and running RCAs — combined with the scripting depth to automate the operations work around it.

This is a hands-on role at the intersection of infrastructure, data pipelines, and machine learning, where your work will directly influence how intelligent systems understand and operate real-world networks.

In this role, you’ll:

• Review real-world data from deployed networks (logs, configurations, telemetry, event streams)

• Label, classify, and analyze network behaviors, issues, and anomalies

• Write scripts/tools to process, clean, and transform network data

• Help define schemas and structure for large-scale data pipelines

• Collaborate closely with the client team to improve data quality and usability for ML systems

You’re a strong fit if you:

• Work today as a Level 3 / Tier 3 / Principal Support Engineer keeping existing enterprise infrastructure online and stable — on-call rotation, RCAs, final escalations, troubleshooting outages — Must Have

• Have hands-on experience with end-customer enterprise networks (switches, APs, firewalls in retail, healthcare, financial, manufacturing, university, hospitality, etc.) — Must Have

• Have scripting experience in service of operations (Python, Bash, Ansible, PowerShell) — for log redaction, compliance checks, monitoring automation, config audits, or pipeline tooling — Must Have

• Are comfortable interpreting logs, events, and time-series metrics

• Have experience automating workflows or working with data pipelines (nice to have)

• Are curious about how raw infrastructure data becomes machine learning input

• Are excited to contribute to the future of autonomous networking systems

Role Details:

• Location: San Francisco, CA (In-Person Preferred)

• Commitment: Full-time

• Collaboration: You will work directly with the client team

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.