Competitive Programming Expert — Test Engineer

We are looking for a Senior Reviewer Expert-level Competitive Programming Engineer to help build high-quality algorithmic problems and automated graders used to train advanced AI coding models. You’ll design original programming challenges, develop correct and deliberately incorrect solutions, and create robust test cases that expose subtle implementation errors. This role is ideal for competitive programmers with strong algorithmic problem-solving skills, particularly IOI/ICPC alumni and candidates with a Codeforces Expert rating or equivalent experience. You’ll play a key role in making AI training signals reliable, challenging, and technically rigorous.

Key Responsibilities

• Design original competitive-programming problems with clear statements, sound constraints, and well-defined intended solutions.
• Develop correct reference solutions in C++ and Python.
• Create realistic deliberately-wrong solutions that represent common algorithmic and implementation mistakes.
• Build comprehensive test cases, including edge cases, stress tests, generators, and adversarial/"hacking" tests.
• Develop and improve automated graders, test cases, and checkers to accurately evaluate submitted solutions.
• Analyze incorrect solutions and identify subtle cases where they fail.
• Work closely with other engineers and problem setters to maintain a high standard of correctness and difficulty.
• Help ensure problems and test suites provide reliable training signals for advanced AI coding models.

Core Requirements

• Expert-level competitive programming ability, ideally equivalent to a Codeforces Expert rating (2200–2600) or demonstrated equivalent performance.
• Strong knowledge of algorithms, data structures, complexity analysis, and problem-solving techniques.
• Expert proficiency in C++.
• Strong proficiency in Python.
• Experience creating or solving challenging competitive-programming problems.
• Strong understanding of test generation, edge cases, stress testing, and adversarial testing.
• Ability to identify subtle bugs and construct test cases that reliably expose incorrect solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to work independently in a remote, fast-paced environment.

Nice-to-Have

• IOI or ICPC participation, particularly at a high level.
• Competitive programming experience on Codeforces, AtCoder, CodeChef, or similar platforms.
• Experience writing programming contest problems, validators, checkers, or test generators.
• Experience working on coding benchmarks, automated evaluation systems, or AI/ML coding datasets.
• Experience developing deliberately-wrong solutions to model common programming mistakes.

Additional

• Project Length: 4–5 months initially, with potential for extension.
• Timezone: US
• Seniority: Expert-level competitive programming experience is required.
• Particularly encouraged to apply: IOI/ICPC alumni and top competitive programmers.

Why Join Kake?

Kake is a remote-first company with a global community, fully believing that it’s not where your table is, but what you bring to the table that matters. We provide top-tier engineering teams to support some of the world’s most innovative companies, and we’ve built a culture where great people stay, grow, and thrive. We’re proud to be more than just a stop along the way in your career - we’re the destination. The icing on the Kake:

The icing on the Kake:

💵 Competitive Pay in USD – Work globally, get paid globally.

🏡 Fully Remote – Simply put, we trust you.

🌱 Better Me Fund – We invest in your personal growth and passions.

❤️ Compassion is Badass – Join a community that invests in social good.

Please Note: Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.