Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Expert | $55–75/hr | Remote (US)
Mercor is partnering with leading AI research labs on Project Atlas — an initiative to build realistic enterprise environments used to train and evaluate frontier AI agents. We are seeking seasoned aerospace and defense professionals from Fortune 500 primes and major Tier-1 suppliers to help recreate the digital workspaces and workflows that define the industry.
About the Role
You will leverage your hands-on experience in A&D program management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, or quality assurance to construct high-fidelity digital environments that mirror real regulated defense and aerospace enterprises. Your work will directly shape how leading AI labs train and benchmark the next generation of AI systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Build realistic digital workspaces modeled on your day-to-day tools — including program review decks, CDRLs/SOWs, engineering change proposals, V&V plans, supplier qualification packages, risk registers, and email workflows
- Incorporate relevant platform representations such as ANSYS Fluent, Siemens Opcenter MES, and Jira/Confluence
- Design multi-step, multi-application tasks that authentically challenge state-of-the-art AI agents
- Collaborate asynchronously with fellow A&D experts and AI research teams to refine task designs, evaluation criteria, and scenario realism
- Contribute directly to frontier AI research and agent benchmarking initiatives
Ideal Qualifications
- 3+ years of full-time experience at a Fortune 500 A&D prime, major Tier-1 supplier, or federally-funded R&D center
- Background in one or more of the following areas:
- Program/project management on DoD or NASA contracts (EVM, IMS, CDRLs)
- Aerospace design or manufacturing engineering (structures, avionics, propulsion)
- Supply chain management under DFARS/ITAR/CMMC
- Quality and mission assurance (AS9100, NADCAP)
- Systems engineering, V&V, or integrated test
- US Person status required; active clearance not required, but familiarity with classified-program workflows is a plus
- Day-to-day proficiency with tools such as ANSYS Fluent/STAR-CCM+, Siemens Opcenter or Rockwell FactoryTalk, and Jira/Confluence
- Strong analytical and written communication skills — ability to translate complex A&D workflows into structured task specifications
Compensation
This engagement begins at an effective hourly rate of $55–$75/hr, with a planned transition to a throughput-based compensation model rewarding quality output.
About Mercor
Mercor is a talent marketplace connecting top domain experts with leading AI labs and research organizations. Backed by Benchmark, General Catalyst, Adam D'Angelo, and Jack Dorsey, Mercor supports thousands of professionals contributing to projects that define the future of AI.
