QA Engineer

Idler builds reinforcement learning environments that teach AI models to code like 0.01% engineers. We've secured a multimillion-dollar contract and are scaling fast to build the training data layer for frontier AI. This part-time QA Engineer role involves refining coding problems from real engineering scenarios, ensuring clarity and accuracy. You will read unfamiliar repos, understand commit intentions, review problem statements, adjust unit tests, and provide progress updates. Candidates need 1-2 years of coding experience, fluent English, and attention to detail.

Must Have

• Understand commit intentions in unfamiliar repos.
• Refine problem statements for clarity and accuracy.
• Adjust unit tests for fair and solvable problems.
• Provide consistent updates on progress and blockers.
• 1-2 years of coding experience.
• Fluent English with strong writing skills.
• Responsive, independent, and detail-oriented.
• Availability for 10-40 hours per week.

About Idler

Idler builds reinforcement learning environments that teach AI models to code like 0.01% engineers. Our training environments are based on real-world coding scenarios that frontier models will actually encounter.

We've closed a multimillion-dollar contract with a leading foundation lab (the largest they've issued to date), and demand is outpacing our capacity to deliver. We're scaling fast to build the training data layer for frontier AI. Every breakthrough model will need environments like ours to learn real-world skills at scale.

We're a tight-knit founding team in San Francisco. We move quickly, think deeply about what makes good training data, and play to win. Join us if you want to win too.

About the role

What We’re Building

We refine coding problems drawn from real engineering — not puzzles, but real reasoning from production code. Your job is to make the thinking clear: what changed, why it mattered, and how an engineer reasoned through it.

The Role (Part Time)

We’re looking for engineers who can trace the intent behind a code change, understand what changes were made and why, and express that clearly in natural language.

This role is part-time, remote, and built for people with technical fluency, sharp attention to detail, and a disciplined command of English.

What You’ll Do

• Read unfamiliar repos and understand the intention behind commits
• Review and refine problem statements until they’re clear and accurate
• Adjust unit tests to keep problems fair and solvable
• Provide brief, consistent updates on progress and blockers

Who You Are

You have 1–2 years of coding experience and a precise eye for detail. You write cleanly, communicate quickly, and you see software engineering as your craft.

Requirements

• 1–2 years of coding experience
• Fluent English; strong writing is a must
• Responsive, independent, and attentive to detail
• 10–40 hours per week, flexible

How it Works

The best contributors stay and grow with us; they show care and depth in their work, communicate clearly about status and availability, and they help shape how our process evolves.

Technology

TypeScript, React, NextJS, Postgres, NodeJS, various AI completions