Cybersecurity Software Engineer - AI Safety

mercor; United States; Remote; USD 83,000 - 124,000; Part time

Job summary

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.

Mercor is seeking a Cybersecurity Software Engineer — AI Safety for a remote contract role. You will write expert-level prompts on cybersecurity topics, evaluate model responses for accuracy and safety, apply guidelines to classify prompts, and collaborate with AI research

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or Master's in Computer Science or a related field, or 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity concepts.
• Strong technical reasoning and writing in English.
• Sound judgment around security and the responsible handling of dual-use information.

Responsibilities

• Write expert-level prompts across specialized cybersecurity topics.
• Evaluate and annotate model responses for technical accuracy, helpfulness, and appropriate handling of sensitive content.
• Apply structured guidelines to classify prompts and conversations.
• Collaborate with AI research teams to improve model safety and performance.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while enhancing AI model security.

Skills

Cybersecurity concepts

Technical reasoning

English writing

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science or related field, or 5+ years of experience

Job description

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: Cybersecurity SWE — AI Safety

Type: Contract

Compensation: $60–$90/hour

Location: Remote

Commitment: 15–40 hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Write expert-level prompts across specialized cybersecurity topics.


• Evaluate and annotate model responses for technical accuracy, helpfulness, and appropriate handling of sensitive content.


• Apply structured guidelines to classify prompts and conversations.


• Collaborate with AI research teams to improve model safety and performance.


• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while enhancing AI model security.

Qualifications - Must-Have

• Bachelor's degree or Master's in Computer Science or a related field, or 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.


• Strong understanding of cybersecurity concepts and modern software systems.


• Strong technical reasoning and writing in English.


• Sound judgment around security and the responsible handling of dual-use information.

Qualifications - Preferred

• Background in offensive security, penetration testing, vulnerability research, or related areas.


• Experience reviewing, grading, or red-teaming technical content.

Start Date: Immediate