Engineering & Software Domain Expert

3. Core Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline. An MS or PhD is strongly preferred.
• Experience: 4+ years of substantive professional engineering practice, building and shipping production software or engineered systems at a reputable organization. Internships and academic coursework alone do not count.
• Domain depth: Genuine specialization in at least one area, for example distributed systems and backend infrastructure, security and cryptography, embedded and firmware, machine learning systems, developer tooling and platform engineering, or quality and test engineering.
• Seniority: Clear progression to a senior level, for example Senior, Staff, Principal, Architect, or Engineering Lead, with real ownership of systems and design decisions.
• Technical evidence: A visible record of engineering output such as shipped systems, granted patents, open source contributions, or published technical work. Preferred.
• AI fluency: Hands-on working use of large language models in your professional work, and the judgment to tell a well-reasoned answer from a plausible-sounding wrong one.
• Availability: Able to commit reliably to 40 hours per week for an initial engagement of 6 months.
• Location: Living in the Bay Area, California, and able to work on-site with the client's team multiple days each week, when required. Candidates not currently based in the Bay Area must be willing to relocate there at their own cost. Relocation assistance is not provided.
• Excellent written communication, and the ability to give precise, well-structured written feedback.

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Roles hired through Cincinnatus are not project-based or freelance engagements. They are structured, role-based positions that typically involve part-time or full-time commitments, close collaboration with a client's internal teams, and integration into standard enterprise workflows.

Cincinnatus is a legal entity separate from Mercor. While opportunities may be discovered through Mercor's platform, employment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits for these roles are administered by Cincinnatus LLC.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Cincinnatus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans throughout the job application process.

Description from Mercor. Full details and the application are on Mercor's site.