Software Engineer: Backend

What you'll do

You author coding problems for AI: realistic feature implementations and bug fixes in backend codebases, each paired with a deterministic verifier. The verifier has to accept any reasonable valid solution and reject everything else, including the hard-coded shortcut and the fix that passes the obvious case but misses the edge.

That boundary is the real work. Writing the task takes an afternoon; writing a verifier that is neither brittle nor gameable takes the code review instinct the ad asks for.

Who fits

• Strong backend experience in Java, Node.js, Go, Rust, TypeScript, Python, C++ or similar
• A record of building scalable services and APIs
• Comfort with debugging, performance work and automated testing
• Good code review instincts

Preferred: proven delivery of performant backend projects, a record of fixing bugs and bottlenecks, refactoring and complex features in large applications, solid algorithms and data structures, and clear technical communication. No AI experience is required.

How this posting differs from its siblings

micro1 runs the same task-and-verifier work under three titles, all on $30–100/hour:

• Senior Software Engineer (Coding Tasks and Verifiers), 300 openings, calls out security and SecOps as the big plus
• Software Engineer (Coding Tasks, Testing Focus), 100 openings, calls out test strategy and flaky-test experience
• This one, 100 openings, names no specialism at all, so it is the door for a generalist backend engineer without a security or testing angle to lead with

It also gives the AI interview as about 15 to 20 minutes, shorter than the roughly 30 minutes on the siblings.

What it pays

The listing shows $30–100/hour, but compensation is output-based: per task that meets the project specification, with a weekly minimum number of tasks that is not quantified. Time per task depends on your experience and workflow, so your effective rate is accepted tasks per hour. Ask what a typical task pays before committing.

Commitment and process

• About 15 hours a week, at times and on days you choose, weekends included
• Screening questions, an AI interview of about 15 to 20 minutes, a technical assessment (marked tentative) and a hiring manager review
• The interview, the assessment and the project work itself are to be done without outside assistance
• Roles are usually filled within 48 hours, with first tasks expected within 24 to 48 hours of onboarding

Worth knowing

Good:

• 100 openings, flagged high demand
• No specialism required beyond solid backend work
• Flexible hours that fit around a day job
• No AI background needed

Less good:

• Per-task pay with an unstated weekly minimum; tasks that miss the spec are not paid
• A $30 floor is low for experienced backend work
• If you do have security or testing depth, a sibling posting values it explicitly
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal on 6 October 2026 and read on 12 October 2026. The $30–100/hour band, 100 openings, the 15-hour weekly guide, the process and the per-task terms are its published text. Location is given only as remote with no country list, and the customer is not named. See micro1.