Specialty Materials Chemist – Pyrotechnics, Propulsion

Mercor

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

Posted 9/22/2026contractRemote • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $65 - $75 per hourWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in synthesizing and characterizing specialty energetic materials, with a strong emphasis on technical writing and the ability to evaluate misuse scenarios. Proficient in performance testing and safety assessments for energetic compounds in a licensed or government facility.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Specialty Energetic Materials FormulationPerformance Testing and Sensitivity TestingTechnical Writing and Published ResearchRocket Propellant DevelopmentMisuse Scenario Evaluation

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Synthesis of Energetic CompoundsCharacterization of Energetic MaterialsCalorimetryThermal Stability TestingSmall-Scale Safety TestingScale-Up Process SafetySolid Rocket Propellant DevelopmentLiquid Rocket Propellant DevelopmentBinders and Oxidizers KnowledgeBurn-Rate Modifiers

Soft Skills

Strong Writing SkillsJudgment and Evaluation

Industry Keywords

PyrotechnicsPropellantsEnergetic MaterialsGovernment Facility ExperienceTechnical ReasoningRed-Teaming AI ModelsMisuse-Potential Assessment

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Write challenging single-turn prompts in the specialty materials and propulsion domain
Label prompts as benign, dual-use or adversarial
Evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard
Judge whether each response was handled correctly
Write reference answers and explain the technical reasoning behind them
Red-team frontier AI models for misuse-potential assessment
Sustain reading and writing about misuse scenarios, with the option to pause or step away without penalty

Requirements

What you’ll need

Formulated, synthesised and tested specialty energetic materials in a licensed or government facility
Relevant background in pyrotechnics, propellants or specialty energetic materials formulation
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
Ability to distinguish routine professional questions from potentially harmful misuse scenarios
Strong writing skills; every judgment must include a rationale understandable to a non-specialist
Prior technical writing, published research or expert witness experience is strongly preferred
Must not use classified, export-controlled, NDA-covered or prepublication-review information; obligations must be disclosed
Technical writing sample or link should be included with the application

Benefits

Comp & perks

Earn up to $250 for each successful referral
Flexible participation: you can pause or step away at any point without penalty
Reasonable accommodations upon request