Energetic Materials Chemist — Propulsion & Red Team Expert

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Obsidian is seeking a chemist with a background in energetic materials to join a high-sensitivity project. You will design prompts across benign, dual-use, and adversarial categories and evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard.

You will also draft reference answers with clear technical reasoning, while navigating safety constraints and regulatory considerations in a licensed or government-facility context.

Qualifications

• Background formulating, synthesising and testing specialty energetic materials in a licensed or government facility.
• Ability to distinguish routine professional questions from risky inquiries and provide clear rationale.

Responsibilities

• Write challenging prompts across benign, dual-use and adversarial levels.
• Evaluate model responses against a policy standard and judge handling quality.
• Write the reference answer with technical reasoning for safe, correct responses.

Skills

Formulation chemist

Synthesis & characterization

Safety testing

Scale-up & process safety

Red-teaming experience

Job description

Obsidian is seeking a chemist with a background in energetic materials to join a high-sensitivity project. You will design prompts across benign, dual-use, and adversarial categories and evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard.

You will also draft reference answers with clear technical reasoning, while navigating safety constraints and regulatory considerations in a licensed or government-facility context.