Energetic Materials Chemist - Specialist

About the job Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs.

Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark , General Catalyst , Peter Thiel , Adam D'Angelo , Larry Summers , and Jack Dorsey .

Position: Specialty Materials Chemist — Pyrotechnics or Propulsion

Type: Contract

Compensation: $65–$75/hour

Location: Remote

Role Responsibilities

• Write challenging single-turn prompts in the domain of energetic materials and propulsion. Classify them as benign, dual-use, or adversarial.
• Evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard. Judge the correctness of each response.
• Write reference answers that include correct responses and the technical reasoning behind them.
• Collaborate with practitioners to draw reliable lines between routine and dangerous questions.
• Work independently and asynchronously to ensure model accuracy and safety.

Qualifications Must-Have

• Experience in formulation, synthesis, and testing of specialty energetic materials in a licensed or government facility.
• Ability to distinguish routine professional questions from potentially dangerous ones.
• Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience.

Preferred

• Red-teaming experience in the field of energetic materials.

Compensation & Legal

• Hourly contractor
• Paid weekly via Stripe Connect