Specialty Materials Chemist – Pyrotechnics, Propulsion

Mercor

. Write challenging single-turn prompts in the specialty energetic materials and propulsion domain .

Posted 10/13/2026contractRemote • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $65 - $75 per hourWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in specialty materials chemistry, particularly in pyrotechnics and propellants, with strong technical writing skills to communicate complex concepts clearly. Capable of evaluating AI model responses and assessing misuse potential in energetic materials.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Specialty Materials ChemistryTechnical Writing AbilityFormulation Of PyrotechnicsPerformance And Sensitivity TestingScale-Up And Process Safety

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Synthesis Of Energetic CompoundsCharacterization Of Energetic CompoundsCalorimetryThermal Stability TestingSmall-Scale Safety TestingDevelopment Of Rocket PropellantsBindersOxidisersBurn-Rate Modifiers

Soft Skills

JudgmentRationale Communication

Industry Keywords

Energetic MaterialsPropulsion DomainMisuse Potential AssessmentLicensed Facility ExperienceGovernment Facility Experience

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Write challenging single-turn prompts in the specialty energetic materials and propulsion domain
Label prompts as benign, dual-use, or adversarial
Evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard
Judge whether responses were handled correctly
Write reference answers explaining what a correct response looks like and the technical reasoning behind it
Red-team frontier AI models for misuse-potential assessment
Sustain reading and writing about misuse scenarios in the field

Requirements

What you’ll need

Specialty materials chemistry experience in pyrotechnics, propellants, or specialty energetic materials
Formulated, synthesised, and tested specialty energetic materials in a licensed or government facility
Ability to distinguish routine professional questions from potentially harmful requests
Experience with formulation of pyrotechnics, propellants, or specialty energetic materials
Experience synthesising and characterising energetic compounds in a licensed or government facility
Experience with performance and sensitivity testing, including calorimetry, thermal stability, and small-scale safety testing
Experience with scale-up and process safety for energetic material production
Experience developing solid or liquid rocket propellants, including binders, oxidisers, and burn-rate modifiers
Strong technical writing ability; every judgment must include a rationale understandable to non-specialists
Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is strongly preferred
Must not use classified, export-controlled, NDA-protected, or prepublication-review information in the work
Must disclose such obligations so the work can be scoped accordingly

Benefits

Comp & perks

Earn up to $250 for each successful referral
Reasonable accommodations upon request
Ability to pause or step away from misuse-scenario work at any point without penalty