---
title: 'RL Environment Engineers: Building Tool Gyms For Knowledge Work at Terac'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/rl-environment-engineers-building-tool-gyms-for-knowledge-work-terac-united-j8qr1yet7njm'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# RL Environment Engineers: Building Tool Gyms For Knowledge Work at Terac

- **Company:** Terac
- **Location:** United States
- **Employment:** contract
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-08-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/terac/273673d9-e951-43f5-a470-438828a7b4e7

## Job description

## What We're Researching

We're hiring an RL environment engineer to help build tool-based environments, commonly known as tool gyms, for knowledge work applications. This paid engagement focuses on creating robust simulation frameworks where models can learn to interact with complex software tools. The resulting environments will directly support advanced reinforcement learning research and training pipelines. How It Works You will spend approximately 20 hours per week developing and testing new tool environments. This involves writing code to simulate various knowledge work tasks, ensuring realistic and stable agent interactions. You will also participate in remote video check-ins to discuss architecture decisions and troubleshoot implementation blockers. Throughout the project, you will iterate on environment designs based on model performance and technical feedback. Who This Is For We are looking for specialized machine learning professionals with hands-on experience in reinforcement learning environments. We welcome RL engineers, AI researchers, simulation developers, and machine learning infrastructure specialists. Ideal candidates have previously built or maintained custom gyms and are comfortable committing to a part-time weekly schedule.

## What You'll Do

- Design and implement tool-based environments for knowledge work simulations.
- Write clean and modular code to support reinforcement learning training pipelines.
- Troubleshoot and refine environment mechanics based on testing feedback.
- Collaborate asynchronously and participate in remote progress check-ins.

Who Should Apply

- Professional experience as a machine learning or reinforcement learning engineer
- Hands-on background building custom RL environments or tool gyms
- Ability to commit to approximately 20 hours of work per week
- Comfortable discussing technical architecture and implementation strategies

## Compensation

$120 per hour

Ready to participate? [Start your paid interview now](https://terac.com/interview/start/r/33cf6746-86a3-4b4f-b009-4b264c9e9c86?utm_source=ashby_listing_description)

## About Terac

Terac is building the world's largest pool of vetted human experts for AI. Researchers, AI labs, and product teams use Terac to recruit, screen, and pay study participants across industries, languages, and skill sets.

Learn more at [terac.com](https://terac.com) or on YouTube at [@jointerac](https://www.youtube.com/@jointerac).

## About Terac

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Terac is building the infrastructure and labor marketplace to connect AI agents and companies with verified human experts on demand.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage; raised $9M)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA (with hubs in Lisbon, Portugal and São Paulo, Brazil)
- **Founded**: 2025
- **Founders**: Zac Baker (Co-founder & CEO), Jack Blair (Co-founder & CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Labor Marketplace / AI Infrastructure / Human-in-the-Loop Services
- **Target customers**: B2B; AI companies, frontier model labs, enterprises, and research teams that need to source, interview, verify, and pay human experts (e.g., doctors, engineers, lawyers) via API.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Build the labor marketplace for the post-AGI future" — to become the default interface between AI systems and human expertise.

## Products & Services
- **Terac Platform (Expert Labor MCP)**: An API-first marketplace that allows any team or AI agent to source, screen, interview, verify, and pay human experts on demand. It functions as a "supply layer for human labor," enabling use cases like sourcing 100 Solidity engineers for data labeling or interviewing 200 EU SMB owners about new regulations. The platform includes an AI moderator for screening and verification.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — $9M raised.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Emergence Capital, SignalFire, Audacious Ventures, Z Fellows.
- **Growth Signals**: Founded in 2025, the company has rapidly grown to a team of ~22 people. It is building in a high-demand space (AI + human data/workforce) and has attracted top-tier investors. The company is actively hiring across 8+ roles in engineering, growth, operations, and marketing.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-Mover in a Niche**: Focuses on the specific, emerging need for "post-AGI" human labor, positioning itself as infrastructure rather than just a gig platform.
- **Verified Expert Panel**: Curates a panel of verified experts (doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc.) with a built-in AI moderator for screening, differentiating it from general freelance marketplaces.
- **API-First & Agent-Native**: Designed for integration with AI agents and automated workflows, not just human users, making it a critical piece of AI infrastructure.
- **Strong Founding Team**: Backed by experienced founders and a small, high-caliber team (10 people in SF) focused on deep technical challenges (panel quality, voice moderation, marketplace dynamics).

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling the Panel & Platform**: The immediate priority is to build out the supply side (expert panel) and the platform's capabilities (moderator, verification, agent tooling).
- **Deepening AI Integration**: Making the platform the "default interface" for any AI system that needs to call on human expertise.
- **Hiring Across Functions**: Aggressively hiring founding engineers, account executives, and marketing talent to scale the company from its current 22 people.

## Why Work Here
- **Ground-Floor Opportunity**: As a seed-stage company founded in 2025, early employees will have significant ownership and influence over the product and company culture.
- **Mission-Driven Work**: The company is tackling a "generational shift" in how labor is allocated, offering a compelling narrative for those interested in the future of AI and work.
- **Culture & Team**: Described as a "tight-knit crew in San Francisco that moves fast, sweats the details, and likes being around each other." The team includes engineers, operators, and storytellers.
- **Unique Hiring Process**: Features a paid, week-long work trial to ensure a mutual fit, with full transparency on company metrics (revenue, runway, growth) before an offer is accepted.
- **Compensation & Benefits**: Offers meaningful salary, early-stage equity, comprehensive health/dental/vision coverage, daily meals, relocation support, and team offsites.
- **Work Policy**: Remote-friendly with hubs in San Francisco, Lisbon, and São Paulo. Many roles are listed as San Francisco-based or hybrid.

## Sources
1. [terac.com - Careers](https://terac.com/careers)
2. [terac.com - About](https://terac.com/about)
3. [terac.com - Team](https://terac.com/team)
4. [terac.com - Homepage](https://terac.com/)
5. [terac.com - How We Hire](https://terac.com/blog/how-we-hire-at-terac)

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