Mercor is hiring on behalf of a leading AI lab for an experienced Backend & DevOps Engineer to design, build, and scale microservices-based infrastructure that powers next-generation AI systems. You’ll own both core backend services and infrastructure automation, ensuring distributed systems are fast, reliable, and secure. This position blends software engineering, DevOps, and system design, working closely with research and engineering teams to deliver production-grade, scalable AI infrastructure. Responsibilities Architect and develop high-performance, fault-tolerant microservices. Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, deployment workflows, and infrastructure-as-code. Manage Kubernetes clusters, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), and container orchestration. Implement monitoring, observability, and security best practices. Collaborate with backend and AI teams to optimize system performance and reliability. Continuously improve automation, deployment speed, and operational efficiency. Requirements 3 years of experience in backend engineering and/or DevOps roles. Strong understanding of microservices architecture and API design. Proficiency in Go, Python, Node.js, or Java. Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud environments (AWS/GCP). Familiarity with Terraform, Helm, ArgoCD, or GitHub Actions. Experience with databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis) and message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ, NATS). Solid grasp of monitoring stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) and CI/CD principles. Bonus Points Experience in AI/ML infrastructure or large-scale distributed systems. Contributions to open-source DevOps or backend frameworks. Knowledge of GitOps, serverless, or edge computing. Pay & Work Structure You’ll be classified as an hourly contractor to Mercor. Paid weekly via Stripe Connect, based on hours logged. Remote and flexible working style.