Energetic Materials Chemist — Red Team & Prompt Writer

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

Job summary

Mercor is assembling a panel of energetic materials and propulsion experts to red-team frontier AI models, testing whether a model can judge misuse potential while answering legitimate questions fully and refusing dangerous ones.

You will write prompts across three levels, evaluate responses, and craft a reference answer with technical reasoning to guide safe handling and refusal when needed.

Qualifications

• Experience communicating complex technical concepts to non-specialists.
• Ability to write clear rationales for safety- and misuse-related judgments.
• Background in energetic materials or propellants is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Write challenging prompts across benign, dual-use, and adversarial levels.
• Evaluate model responses against policy standards and document judgments.
• Draft reference answers with detailed technical reasoning.

Skills

Technical writing

Red-teaming

Domain knowledge: energetic materials

Critical thinking

Prompt engineering

Education

Degree in chemistry or related field

Tools

Calorimetry

Thermal analysis

Job description

Mercor is assembling a panel of energetic materials and propulsion experts to red-team frontier AI models, testing whether a model can judge misuse potential while answering legitimate questions fully and refusing dangerous ones.

You will write prompts across three levels, evaluate responses, and craft a reference answer with technical reasoning to guide safe handling and refusal when needed.