[Hiring] Competitive Coder @24-MAG

Role Description

We are sharing a specialised consulting opportunity for experienced Competitive Coders with strong expertise in C++, algorithmic problem solving, checker development, test-case design, edge-case analysis, and competitive-programming evaluation to contribute to an advanced AI training and reinforcement-learning project. Selected professionals will create original competitive-programming problems, develop reference solutions, build robust test suites, and design reinforcement-learning environments that test an AI model's ability to solve complex algorithmic tasks. The work requires deep competitive-programming judgement, advanced C++ proficiency, and meticulous attention to correctness across constraints, outputs, checkers, and edge cases. No prior experience in AI is required.

Key Responsibilities

• Competitive Programming Problem Design
  • Create original competitive-programming problems
  • Develop tasks that are not duplicated from existing online judges
  • Define clear problem statements, constraints, and expected behaviour
  • Design problems requiring substantive algorithmic reasoning
  • Ensure tasks are technically rigorous and objectively verifiable
• Reinforcement Learning Environment Development
  • Create environments that test AI performance on complex coding problems
  • Define measurable success criteria
  • Build deterministic evaluation workflows
  • Support reliable assessment of model-generated solutions
  • Ensure environments reflect realistic competitive-programming challenges
• Reference Solution Development
  • Implement correct and efficient reference solutions
  • Validate solutions against stated constraints
  • Analyse time and space complexity
  • Confirm reference behaviour across normal and adversarial cases
  • Maintain clear and maintainable C++ implementations
• Checker Development
  • Design and implement custom checkers
  • Handle problems with multiple valid outputs
  • Ensure checker logic is deterministic and robust
  • Validate output correctness across diverse solution formats
  • Prevent false positives and false negatives in evaluation
• Test Suite Design
  • Develop comprehensive test suites
  • Cover edge cases, corner cases, and boundary conditions
  • Create adversarial tests targeting common solution weaknesses
  • Ensure tests distinguish correct from partially correct implementations
  • Validate test coverage against reference and intentionally flawed solutions
• Submission Evaluation
  • Review and validate participant or model-generated submissions
  • Compare implementations against problem requirements
  • Identify logical, algorithmic, or implementation errors
  • Assess handling of constraints and edge cases
  • Verify output consistency and correctness
• Algorithmic Analysis
  • Analyse multiple possible solution paths
  • Evaluate complexity trade-offs
  • Identify optimal or acceptable algorithms
  • Detect hidden assumptions in proposed approaches
  • Distinguish valid alternative solutions from incorrect reasoning
• C++ Engineering
  • Develop reliable evaluation and checker code in C++
  • Write maintainable and efficient implementations
  • Handle input/output constraints carefully
  • Debug subtle correctness and performance issues
  • Apply strong competitive-programming coding practices
• Problem Validation & Ambiguity Review
  • Review problem statements for ambiguity
  • Identify underspecified constraints or unclear requirements
  • Clarify behaviour for edge cases
  • Ensure problem statements support objective evaluation
  • Recommend revisions before tasks are finalised
• Peer Review & Feedback
  • Review problems, checkers, and test cases created by other contributors
  • Identify weaknesses in task construction
  • Suggest improvements to validation logic
  • Provide actionable feedback to problem setters and reviewers
  • Maintain consistent technical standards across project content
• Documentation & Communication
  • Document checker logic and evaluation behaviour
  • Explain edge cases and technical decisions clearly
  • Communicate algorithmic reasoning in written and verbal formats
  • Support collaboration with project teams
  • Maintain clear technical records for review and iteration

Qualifications

• Strong competitive-programming background
• Advanced C++ proficiency
• Deep understanding of algorithms and data structures
• Strong ability to analyse complex problem constraints
• Experience reasoning across multiple valid solution paths
• Strong checker and test-case design skills
• Ability to identify subtle edge cases
• Excellent debugging and validation skills
• Strong attention to output correctness and consistency
• Ability to write clear and maintainable C++ code
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving ability
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable working independently in a remote environment
• Able to produce high-quality technical work under tight deadlines
• Prior experience as a problem setter, tester, or checker on major competitive-programming platforms is highly advantageous
• No prior AI-training or model-evaluation experience is required

Engagement Details

• Part-time independent contractor engagement
• Fully remote
• Expected commitment: 15+ hours per week
• Displayed compensation range: $45–$65/hour
• Actual compensation structure is output-based, with payment made per task that meets project specifications
• Task completion time may vary depending on individual experience and workflow
• Minimum weekly submission requirements apply; the source does not specify the exact number of required tasks
• Work will involve competitive-programming problem design, C++, checker development, reference solutions, test suites, reinforcement-learning environments, and AI-generated code evaluation
• Strong competitive-programming and algorithmic problem-solving ability is central to this engagement
• Roles are typically filled within approximately 48 hours
• Selected experts are expected to begin initial tasks within approximately 24–48 hours after onboarding
• Project scope, task difficulty, algorithms, evaluation criteria, and testing requirements may evolve depending on project needs
• Work must be completed without using confidential, proprietary, restricted, private-contest, or otherwise protected problem content or source code belonging to any employer, contest platform, client, research organisation, or other third party