Software Engineer

About idler idler is a frontier data research lab. We build the evals and environments that the world's leading frontier labs use to measure and train their models. We closed on a multimillion-dollar contract with a top lab and raised a $9m seed round led by Paradigm. We are now facing more lab demand for our data than we can currently serve. Teaching AI superhuman capabilities is a responsibility we take very seriously. Our training data comes from work that is rigorous, ethically produced, and grounded in real expertise. About the role As a Software Engineer at idler, you’ll build the systems and infrastructure that our entire company relies on. You will solve open-ended, technical challenges with focus on performance, scale, and simplicity. In the era of AI-coding, systems-level thinking and attention to detail is more important than experience with a particular framework or language Examples of what you'll do

• Design and build scaleable systems that generate RL environments

• Create agentic QA systems to validate environment quality and fairness

• Work directly with AI researchers at leading labs to understand what makes training data effective

• Handle petabyte scale ETL and orchestrate millions of concurrent jobs

• Support new product lines as we expand beyond coding environments

• Manage our security posture and compliance requirements

What we’re looking for

• 1-10 years of experience writing excellent production software (new grads OK)

• Experience with full-stack applications in a popular programming language

• A meticulous problem solver who creates robust systems under time pressure

Tech stack Typescript, React, NodeJS, Postgres, Redis, Vercel, Cursor Details

• In-person in San Francisco

• Competitive salary + meaningful equity

• Free meals in office

• Healthcare, 401(k), 15 days of PTO per year

• Relocation assistance

• Small, ambitious team

This is an in-person role in San Francisco. We're a tight-knit founding team and we play to win. Join us if you like to win too.