Competitive Programming Expert AI Trainer

About the Role

Mindrift is seeking a Competitive Programming Expert - Freelance AI Trainer to contribute to projects focused on testing, evaluating, and improving AI systems for leading tech companies. This freelance opportunity involves developing competitive programming problems and their automated graders, which are essential for training advanced AI coding models. The work is project-based and not permanent employment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop original algorithmic problems, including clear statements, sound constraints, and an intended solution.
• Write correct solutions in C++ and Python.
• Create realistic incorrect solutions that reflect common mistakes for testing purposes.
• Build and refine test cases, including generators, edge cases, stress tests, and "hacking" tests.
• Develop checkers and interactors (using testlib) for problems with multiple valid answers.
• Ensure quality standards are met: correct solutions pass, and incorrect solutions fail within specified time limits.

Candidate Qualifications

• Strong background in competitive programming, demonstrated by a public profile such as a Codeforces rating or an IOI/ICPC/national olympiad record.
• Proficiency in contest C++ (STL, complexity) and comfortable with Python.
• Ability to explain why a solution is incorrect and construct an input that exposes the flaw.
• Strong written English skills (C1+ level).

Experience Levels

Candidates are evaluated based on their competitive programming background, typically aligned with Codeforces ratings or equivalent olympiad achievements:

• Associate: Codeforces rating of 1700–2100 (Expert / Candidate Master), focusing on easier problems.
• Expert: Codeforces rating of 2200–2600 (Master / Grandmaster), focusing on harder problems.
• Senior / Reviewer: Codeforces rating of 2600+ (International Grandmaster) or IOI/ICPC medalist, focusing on the hardest problems and quality review.

Preferred Qualifications

• Alumni of IOI/ICPC or top competitive programmers are encouraged to apply.
• Experience in setting or testing problems for competitive programming contests (*, Codeforces rounds, ICPC, national olympiads, online judges).
• Experience with testlib (checkers, validators, generators).
• Experience in creating data for LLM code benchmarks or similar RL/evaluation datasets.

Project Details and Compensation

The application process involves applying, passing qualifications, joining a project, completing tasks, and receiving payment. During active project phases, tasks are estimated to require approximately 10-20 hours per week, though this is an estimate and not a guaranteed workload. Tasks must be submitted by deadlines and meet acceptance criteria. Compensation is paid per accepted task, with rates dependent on the qualification tier achieved and task completion efficiency, potentially reaching the equivalent of $90/hour. A faster pace of work can increase the effective hourly rate.