HVAC Expert

AfterQuery builds the expert evaluation data that frontier AI labs use to measure and improve their models. We're hiring HVAC technicians as contractors to author and grade the diagnosis and system design scenarios those evaluations run on. This is knowledge work built on your trade, done entirely from home.

What you'll actually do

• Author realistic HVAC scenarios from symptom through diagnosis and repair, the kind you actually run on a service call.
• Write reference answers with the system and code reasoning behind each step, why that charge, why that duct size, why that sequence of operations.
• Grade model output for technical accuracy, efficiency, and safety.
• Flag advice that reads plausible but would kill a compressor or vent CO into a home, the misses only a working tech would catch.

Who this is for

• HVAC technicians with EPA 608 certification, any required state license, and at least two years of field work.
• Residential service, commercial refrigeration, and controls techs, all specialties welcome.
• Tradespeople who can explain the why behind the fix, not just the fix.
• People comfortable writing clearly, this work is typed, not brazed.

Contract and pay

• $50 to $90/hr, paid weekly via Stripe. Your rate is set from your experience, not negotiated down after you start.
• Fully remote, fully async. No fixed hours, it fits around jobs.
• Minimum 10 hours per week, no maximum. Scale up or down week to week.
• No screen recording, no keystroke monitoring, no idle timers.
• Independent contractor. Ongoing project work rather than single task batches.

How our hiring process works

1. Apply at /apply/hvac-expert. About five minutes. Resume plus a few structured questions.
2. Resume review. Every application gets read against a published rubric and gets a decision.
3. Written assessment. You may be asked to take a written assessment for further placement.
4. Onboarding. Sign the contractor agreement, connect Stripe, and get platform access.
5. Project match. You're matched to live work in your specialty, usually within a week of onboarding.

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is an expert data lab. We build the evaluation and training data that frontier AI labs use to measure what their models can and can't do in real professional work. Our contributors are practicing professionals, not annotators, and the work is credited, reviewed, and paid at professional rates.

Responsibilities

• Author realistic HVAC scenarios from symptom through diagnosis and repair
• Write reference answers with the system and code reasoning behind each step
• Grade model output for technical accuracy, efficiency, and safety
• Flag advice that reads plausible but would kill a compressor or vent CO into a home

Requirements

• EPA Section 608 certification, plus a state HVAC license where your state requires one
• 2+ years of field experience in installation, service, or controls
• Working command of refrigeration cycles, airflow, and load calculation
• Clear written English for documenting diagnostic reasoning
• Able to commit at least 10 hours per week

Preferred Qualifications

• NATE certification or HVAC contractor license
• Commercial refrigeration or building automation depth
• Heat pump, geothermal, or high efficiency system experience

Why Apply

• Paid for your trade knowledge, no tools, no travel, no job site
• Set your own hours and scale up or down week to week, it fits around jobs
• Weekly pay via Stripe at a rate set from your experience
• Your judgment shapes how the next generation of AI handles the trades