Philosophy Phd - Benchmark Specialist

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 65,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking an Applied Philosophy Benchmark Specialist on a remote, contract basis. The role involves crafting original philosophy questions designed to probe deep understanding and rigorous reasoning.

You will rate difficulty, supply correct and distractor answers, and provide structured, reasoned explanations with references. Candidates should have a PhD or be doctoral candidates in philosophy, with strong writing and analytical skills.

Qualifications

• PhD or doctoral candidate in Philosophy or closely related field.
• Master's degree considered for exceptional depth in subdomain.
• Strong command of philosophical argumentation and logic.

Responsibilities

• Write original philosophy questions testing deep conceptual understanding.
• Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained and well defined.
• Rate questions: Medium, Hard or Expert difficulty.
• Provide 1 correct answer and 9 plausible distractors.
• Include step-by-step Chain-of-Thought solutions in markdown.

Skills

Philosophical argumentation

Formal logic

Academic writing

Education

PhD in Philosophy

Master's in Philosophy (exceptional depth)

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: Applied Philosophy Benchmark Specialist
Type: Contract
Compensation: $50-$63/hour
Location: Remote
Commitment: 10+ hours/week

Role Responsibilities

• Author original philosophy questions that test deep conceptual understanding, not surface-level recall.
• Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined. Include all necessary information in the problem statement.
• Rate each question's difficulty: Medium (intro undergraduate), Hard (advanced undergraduate), or Expert (post-graduate and above).
• Provide 1 correct answer and 9 plausible but subtly incorrect alternatives that challenge expert-level solvers.
• Write step-by-step Chain-of-Thought solutions with clear, concise reasoning in markdown format.
• Supply 1-5 academic references per question from reputable sources like peer-reviewed journals or university repositories.
• For verification tasks: flag issues with clarity, completeness, precision, or solvability and justify any edits made.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• PhD or doctoral candidate in Philosophy or a closely related field.
• Master's degree considered for candidates with exceptional depth in a specific subdomain.
• Strong command of philosophical argumentation, formal logic, and canonical texts across traditions.
• Research publications or teaching experience in philosophy is a strong plus.
• Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely.