AI Product Quality Specialist (Contractor) New Chicago

AI Product Quality Specialist (Contractor)

Chicago

Location: US or Canada
Type: Independent Contractor (potential for conversion to full-time hire)

**A note before you read further**

The world is changing fast, and so is this role. We can't fully tell you what this job looks like in six months. That's true of every role at Human Agency right now. What we need from you, no matter what: accountability, curiosity, and a builder-first mindset. If that sounds exciting, keep reading. If it sounds intimidating but you're still interested, let's talk. If none of that sounds like you, that's okay. This probably isn't your spot.

About Human Agency

We're scaling rapidly and have a growing pipeline of opportunities that demand exceptional talent across disciplines. Our mission is to bring on individuals, from creative producers to technical experts to entrepreneurial leaders, who can help us realize this next chapter of growth.

We are a company of doers. Leaders roll up their sleeves, teams work flat, and everyone contributes to what ships. Titles don't insulate us from feedback or basics. We invite critique, learn quickly, and keep raising the bar. The best ideas win here, no matter where they come from, because clients trust us to deliver the strongest outcomes every time.

Our clients' missions, products, and bottom lines are sacred. We immerse ourselves in their world, becoming stewards of their goals and partners in solving big problems. Every product, strategy, or asset we create must be both beautiful and functional; practical, usable, and designed for real-world impact.

Humans are our most valuable resource, and we only grow by hiring people who push us forward. Across strategy, engineering, design, data, and operations, we seek out teammates who raise the bar and make us better. Always hire up, never down.

We partner with organizations of all sizes to explore, design, and implement AI strategies that are secure, scalable, and human-centered. We believe AI should amplify human potential, not replace it, and we build with that conviction in every engagement. From advisory and tooling to implementation and education, we meet clients where they are and help them integrate AI in ways that align with their mission and values. Our goal is to empower teams to work smarter, move faster, and unlock new possibilities through thoughtful, responsible innovation.

And through it all, we lead with purpose, love, and adventure. We do meaningful work with people we care about, and we make the ride an adventure worth taking. Because at Human Agency, who we are and how we work are one and the same.

The Opportunity

Our senior team is shipping fast. Too fast to spend cycles on bugs, friction points, and the steady accumulation of product rough edges that slow users down and erode trust. That's where you come in. This role exists because we need someone with sharp product instincts who can triage what actually matters to users, resolve issues quickly, and exercise real judgment about what to fix, what to elevate, and what to ignore.

This is not a ticket-processing job. Anyone can read feedback and route it somewhere. We need someone who reads feedback, understands what users are actually trying to do, and can tell the difference between a bug that's blocking real work and one that's noise. You'll be the person who keeps product quality tight so leadership can stay focused on building what's next.

This role can grow well beyond where it starts. Strong judgment and consistent output can open the door to more: building products directly with us, and eventually client-facing solution works, depending on performance, business need, and demonstrated ability. We hire for trajectory, not just task completion, but that trajectory has to be earned and the timeline isn't fixed.

What You'll Own

• Bug triage and resolution: Work through product issues reported by users with speed and precision. You'll regularly work in the codebase, submit fixes, and validate them before release.
• User feedback interpretation: Read between the lines of what users report to identify the real problem, not just the surface complaint, and prioritize accordingly.
• Product quality monitoring: Maintain a running pulse on the user experience across our products, flagging patterns and systemic issues before they compound. You'll own testing your changes, checking relevant edge cases, and confirming the original reported workflow works before considering an issue resolved.
• AI-assisted workflows: Use Claude Code and other AI tools to move faster and resolve more, without sacrificing the judgment that makes the output actually useful.
• Cross-functional communication: Keep relevant teammates informed with crisp, specific updates (what's broken, what's fixed, what still needs attention).
• Documentation: Leave things better than you found them by documenting fixes, edge cases, and recurring issues in a way that builds institutional knowledge over time.

Experience & Skills

• Hands-on experience working on software products in a QA, product, or technical support role. You know what good looks like and can spot when something falls short.
• You have built or experimented with Claude Code and understand how to apply AI tooling to accelerate real work, not just demo it.
• You have a track record of resolving product issues quickly and independently, without needing someone to hold your hand through every step.
• You can read user feedback and extract signal from noise. You understand enough about UX to know when a complaint reflects a real problem and when it doesn't.
• You communicate clearly in writing and know how to elevate an issue in a way that gives product leads exactly what they need to act.
• You're comfortable working without a detailed process in place. You can create your own system for managing volume and staying on top of what matters.
• You move fast and hate letting things sit. A backlog of unresolved issues bothers you at a gut level.
• You have real product taste. You've spent enough time thinking about user experience that good and bad feel obvious to you, not just theoretical.
• You take ownership. When something is your responsibility, it gets done. You don't wait for reminders or check-ins.
• You're honest about what you know and what you don't, and you'd rather ask a sharp question than guess wrong and waste everyone's time.
• You see this as a starting point, not a ceiling. You want to earn more responsibility and are motivated by what this role could grow into.

Compensation & Logistics

• This is a contract role with an hourly rate commensurate with experience. We're targeting $20-30/hr.
• Work is fully remote; US or Canada-based candidates only.
• Hours are flexible but output is not. You'll be expected to move quickly and stay responsive during active sprints.
• We're looking to bring great candidates on immediately.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

Human Agency is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diverse perspectives and are committed to building inclusive, high-performing teams where everyone can do their best work.