Principal Lead Software Engineer

About this role

About The Job
Mercor
connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include
Benchmark
,
General Catalyst
,
Peter Thiel
,
Adam D'Angelo
,
Larry Summers
, and
Jack Dorsey
.


Position:
Software Engineer III


Type:
Onsite
Compensation:
$75–$105/hour
Location:
Redmond
Role Responsibilities

• Develop XR applications using OpenXR, covering architecture, implementation, testing, and iteration.
• Build interactive features including input handling, scene and interaction systems, and rendering optimizations.
• Integrate platform and runtime features like tracking spaces and passthrough extensions.
• Create clean, testable code and contribute to CI/build scripts.
• Debug runtime and device issues related to graphics, tracking, and input.
• Collaborate with product, UX, and engineering stakeholders; document designs and tradeoffs.

Qualifications
Must-Have

• 3+ years of professional software development experience.
• Experience shipping 3D real-time applications like XR, games, or simulations.
• Practical experience with OpenXR core concepts.
• Strong skills in C/C++ and/or C#.
• Experience with a real-time engine or framework such as Unity or Unreal.
• Understanding of rendering and performance constraints for XR.

Preferred

• Experience shipping an OpenXR-based app or feature.
• Familiarity with OpenXR extensions.
• Graphics experience with Vulkan/OpenGL/DirectX and profiling tools.
• Android XR experience including Gradle, NDK, and JNI.
• Experience building reusable components for XR interaction.

Compensation & Legal

• Hourly contractor
• Paid weekly via Stripe Connect

Application Process (Takes 20–30 mins to complete)

• Upload resume
• AI interview based on your resume
• Submit form

Resources & Support

• For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://tal...