Synthetic / Process Chemist

Mercor

. Write challenging single-turn prompts for frontier AI models in chemistry and chemical safety .

Posted 10/23/2026contractRemote • United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $65 - $75 per hourWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in synthetic route design and development, process chemistry, and reaction engineering, with a strong emphasis on technical writing and the ability to communicate complex concepts to non-specialists. Proficient in evaluating AI model responses in the context of chemistry and chemical safety, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Synthetic Route DesignProcess ChemistryReaction EngineeringTechnical WritingRegulatory Chemistry

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Synthetic Route DesignProcess ChemistryReaction EngineeringMethod DevelopmentTroubleshootingKineticsImpurity ControlSafety ReviewsPrecursor SourcingControlled-Substance Registration

Soft Skills

Technical Writing AbilityJudgment Skills

Industry Keywords

GMPChemical SafetyDual-UseAdversarialBenignPolicy StandardRed-Team ScenariosPublished ResearchExpert Witness ExperienceNon-Specialists

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Write challenging single-turn prompts for frontier AI models in chemistry and chemical safety
Label prompts as benign, dual-use, or adversarial
Evaluate model responses against a defined policy standard
Judge whether model responses handled technical requests correctly
Write reference answers and explain the technical reasoning behind them
Red-team scenarios involving synthetic chemistry, process chemistry, reaction engineering, scale-up, precursor sourcing, controlled substances, and regulatory chemistry
Provide written rationales that non-specialists can follow

Requirements

What you’ll need

Background in synthetic route design and development in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, or fine chemicals
Process chemistry and reaction engineering experience, including optimisation, kinetics, and impurity control
Experience scaling from bench to pilot to plant, including associated safety reviews
Experience with precursor sourcing, controlled-substance registration, or regulatory chemistry
Method development and troubleshooting in a GMP or equivalent quality environment
Ability to distinguish routine professional chemistry questions from potentially dangerous misuse requests
Strong technical writing ability; every judgment requires a written rationale understandable to non-specialists
Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is a strong signal
Must not use classified, export-controlled, NDA-protected, or prepublication-review information
LinkedIn URL required unless applicant does not have LinkedIn

Benefits

Comp & perks

Up to $250 for each successful referral
Flexible remote work
Ability to pause or step away from misuse-scenario work without penalty
Reasonable accommodations upon request