Chief Engineer / Senior Mechanical Engineer

What you'll do

You act as the lead on engineering projects built to train AI, rather than answering isolated questions. You design realistic projects spanning mechanical design, analysis, manufacturing and testing, with input from other disciplines where a real project would need it.

In practice that means writing the brief a good program lead would write: design requirements, operating constraints and measurable acceptance criteria. You then split the problem into connected tasks, each with its inputs, deliverables, dependencies and the expert responsible, and coordinate what those experts contribute.

Who qualifies

• Substantial experience as a Chief Engineer, Senior Mechanical Engineer or comparable technical lead
• Proven leadership of complex projects across several technical disciplines
• Strong mechanical design and analysis, design for manufacture and assembly, and verification through testing and root-cause analysis
• English at B2 level or higher

Preferred: a master's or PhD in mechanical engineering or a related field, CAD or finite element analysis experience, projects taken from concept through delivery, and a background in aerospace, automotive, robotics, industrial equipment, energy or medical devices.

What it pays

The listing pays $200 to $300 an hour. The ad does not say what moves you within that range, or how many hours a project involves.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Very high hourly pay for work that uses leadership experience
• US-based candidates are preferred, but strong experience elsewhere is considered
• 30 openings across a wide list of industries

Less good:

• "Substantial experience" has no number attached, so the bar is hard to judge from the ad
• Coordinating other experts could take time the ad does not describe
• No hours, project length or payment terms are published

About this listing

Read on micro1's referral board; posted on 4 November 2026. We set no country because the ad accepts candidates worldwide. See micro1.

How to get hired

• micro1 screens with an AI interview by Zara. Our guide to the Zara interview explains what it covers.
• Open your CV with one program you led from concept to delivery: the product, the disciplines you coordinated, and the outcome.
• Name a failure you traced through testing and root-cause analysis, because the ad lists that skill by name.
• To prepare, write a one-page brief for a past project with its requirements, constraints and acceptance criteria. That document is close to the deliverable this role asks for.