CAD Scripting Expert - Remote Contract Anywhere — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
Location & Schedule Flexibility: This role is fully remote and open to applicants anywhere in the world — a genuine digital nomad-friendly opportunity. The task-based model means there are no fixed hours or mandatory daily check-ins; you pick up tasks when it suits your schedule and time zone. This is about as async-friendly as professional tech work gets.
Lifestyle Fit: Since compensation is per-task (each ~60–75 minutes of work), you can integrate this role seamlessly alongside other freelance contracts or travel plans. It's ideal as a supplementary income stream rather than a full-time replacement, especially while slow-travelling through lower-cost destinations.
Cost-of-Living Context: Without a disclosed salary, it's hard to benchmark precisely, but task-based rates from AI benchmarking companies (via platforms like Toptal) typically range $50–$150/task for expert engineers. At that range:
- Lisbon, Portugal: Even 2–3 tasks/day would comfortably cover daily expenses (~$80–120/day).
- Bangkok, Thailand: Lower COL (~$40–70/day) makes even modest task volume sustainable.
- Medellín, Colombia: Similarly affordable (~$40–65/day), with great coworking infrastructure.
Practical Notes: No coworking stipend, equipment budget, or travel perks are mentioned. You'll need a reliable internet connection and a local machine capable of running FreeCAD/CadQuery scripts. Start date is early November 2026, giving ample time to plan a base location.
Overview
We are building evaluation benchmarks that test whether AI agents can complete real professional work from start to finish. We are hiring expert mechanical design and CAD automation engineers to turn real, paid CAD tasks from their own work into expert-level Terminal-Bench challenges. Each task includes the files and systems it runs on, a working solution, and a check that proves the result is correct.
⚠️ This is a task-based compensation model. Please check the application questions for more details.
Responsibilities
- Design expert-level Terminal-Bench tasks by turning real, paid mechanical CAD work from your own experience into challenges an AI agent must solve end to end.
- Define each task precisely, including the files, systems, and environment it runs on, so an AI agent can attempt it without ambiguity or hidden assumptions.
- Write a working reference solution using scripted CAD (such as FreeCAD or CadQuery Python) that rebuilds parametric parts correctly after parameters change.
- Build automated checks and tests that prove the result is objectively correct, covering geometry, dimensions, tolerances, and file outputs such as STEP or IGES.
- Calibrate difficulty so each task takes an expert about 60–75 minutes to solve, and explain how a real-world mistake would be caught by the checks.
- Iterate on tasks based on reviewer feedback, documenting the design intent, tools, data, and rules used so others can reproduce and validate your work.
Required Skills & Experience
- 3+ years designing real mechanical parts that were manufactured or shipped, doing the hands-on work yourself (not only studying, selling, managing, or teaching it).
- Hands-on CAD work within the last 3 years, with the ability to name the systems, tools, data, and rules you used.
- Builds or modifies designs through scripts (FreeCAD or CadQuery Python, OpenSCAD, Onshape FeatureScript) — not only through GUI work.
- Reads engineering drawings, tolerances, and GD&T, and can explain how a design mistake would be caught.
- Technical fluency with Python or another language and the command line, plus files such as CSV/JSON, APIs, or databases.
- Availability to start around early November 2026 and take on tasks on a flexible, task-based schedule.
Nice-to-Have
- Parametric design-intent experience.
- Open-source hardware contributions or projects.
- Docker and Git experience.
- Experience writing automated tests.
- Experience with SolidWorks, Fusion, or Onshape APIs and STEP/IGES workflows.
Process
- Task-based vetting: you complete a vetting task instead of an interview.
- Paid per task, with each task taking about 60–75 minutes to solve.
- Flexible, task-based work cadence, with an expected start around early November 2026.
To apply: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/toptal-cad-scripting-expert
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a full-time job or a freelance/contract role?
Can I work from any country in the world?
What is the expected start date?
How does the application and vetting process work?
What CAD tools and programming skills are required?
