SWE Fellow - Human Frontier Collective (US)

Skills this role screens for

About the role

PLEASE NOTE: This is a fully remote, 1099 independent contractor opportunity with an estimated duration of six months and the potential for extension. To be eligible, candidates must be authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

About the Program

The Human Frontier Collective (HFC) Fellowship brings together top researchers and domain experts to collaborate on high-impact work that are shaping the future of AI. As an HFC Fellow, you’ll apply your academic and professional expertise to help design, evaluate, and interpret advanced generative AI systems—while gaining exposure to cutting-edge research and working alongside an interdisciplinary network of leading thinkers.

The work

What You'll Do

• Collaborative Work: Get invited to engage in high-impact projects with our partnered AI labs and platforms. Design complex, domain-specific problems and datasets to rigorously evaluate AI models, and provide expert insights that enhance their accuracy, reasoning, and overall performance.
• HFC Community: Beyond the work, you’ll become part of a supportive, interdisciplinary network of innovators and thought leaders committed to advancing frontier AI across domains.
• Contribute to Research Publications: Collaborate with Scale’s research team to co-author technical reports and research papers—boosting your academic visibility and professional recognition (e.g., SciPredict, PropensityBench, Professional Reasoning Benchmark).

Also

Who Should Apply

• Professional and Academic Background: 5+ years of software engineering or related technical experience, or equivalent domain expertise through academic work (e.g. PhD, postdoctoral research, or faculty experience in Computer Science or related field).
• Skills: Demonstrated coding proficiency and analytical abilities, with deep expertise in one or more of the following programming languages: Python, Java, Rust, Swift, JavaScript, or C++.
• Professional Mindset: Detail-oriented, innovative thinker with a passion in applied AI research and a commitment to collaboration.

What you get

Why Join the HFC?

• Professional Development: High-impact experts expand their influence through review projects, advisory roles, and research—while deepening their AI expertise, strengthening analytical and problem-solving skills, and engaging with pioneering AI applications in science and technology.
• Join a Top-Tier Network: Collaborate with a global network of academics and experts to advance responsible AI through impactful, flexible research and training. 80% of our members come from leading institutions.
• Flexible Schedule: Set your own schedule, with flexible 10–40 hour weeks that fit around your life and other commitments.
• Competitive Pay: Project pay rates vary across platforms and are depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to; projects, scope, skillset, and location.

The process

Application Process

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

• Apply: We review applications on a rolling basis.
• Interview: Candidates will get to discuss their research experience, professional background, and alignment with our mission to advance human-centered AI.
• Join the Collective: Successful candidates will receive an invitation to join the Human Frontier Collective Fellowship.

The company

About Us

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.