Process Chemist - Route Design Expert

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 78,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercor, a leader in connecting elite creative and technical talent with AI research labs, seeks a Synthetic / Process Chemist on a contract basis. This remote role requires designing challenging chemistry prompts and evaluating AI model outputs for safety and accuracy.

You will work with chemistry experts to ensure the models distinguish routine requests from dangerous ones, and you will produce reference answers with solid technical reasoning, while meeting deadlines in a distributed,

Qualifications

• Experience in synthetic route design in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, or fine chemicals.
• Expertise in process chemistry, reaction engineering, and scale-up from bench to plant.
• Background in precursor sourcing, controlled-substance registration, or regulatory chemistry.
• Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience.

Responsibilities

• Write challenging single-turn prompts in chemistry and chemical safety. Label them as benign, dual-use, or adversarial.
• Evaluate AI model responses against a defined policy standard. Judge the correctness of each response.
• Write reference answers with technical reasoning to illustrate correct responses.
• Collaborate with chemistry experts to ensure models can distinguish between routine and dangerous requests.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while improving AI model performance.

Skills

Synthetic route design

Process chemistry

Reaction engineering

Scale-up

Precursor sourcing

Regulatory chemistry

Technical writing

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: Synthetic / Process Chemist
Type: Contract
Compensation: $65-$75/hour
Location: Remote

Role Responsibilities

• Write challenging single-turn prompts in chemistry and chemical safety. Label them as benign, dual-use, or adversarial.
• Evaluate AI model responses against a defined policy standard. Judge the correctness of each response.
• Write reference answers with technical reasoning to illustrate correct responses.
• Collaborate with chemistry experts to ensure models can distinguish between routine and dangerous requests.
• Work independently and asynchronously to meet deadlines while improving AI model performance.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Experience in synthetic route design and development in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, or fine chemicals.
• Expertise in process chemistry, reaction engineering, and scale-up from bench to plant.
• Background in precursor sourcing, controlled-substance registration, or regulatory chemistry.
• Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience.

Application Process (Takes 20-30 mins to complete)

• Upload resume
• AI interview based on your resume
• Submit form

Resources & Support

• For details about the interview process and platform information, please check: https://talent.docs.mercor.com/welcome
• For any help or support, reach out to: [e-mail]

PS: Our team reviews applications daily. Please complete your AI interview and application steps to be considered for this opportunity.