Nonproliferation Analyst at Mercor

Nonproliferation Analyst | $65–75/hr | Worldwide Remote

Mercor is assembling a panel of nuclear materials and safeguards experts to red-team frontier AI models. In this role, you will help determine whether AI systems can reliably distinguish legitimate technical inquiries from genuinely dangerous requests — a critical line that requires seasoned practitioners, not generalists.

What You'll Do

• Write challenging single-turn prompts across three classification levels: benign, dual-use, and adversarial
• Evaluate AI-generated responses against a defined policy standard and judge whether each was handled appropriately
• Author reference answers — documenting what a correct response looks like and the technical reasoning behind it

Relevant Backgrounds

We're looking for professionals with hands-on experience in proliferation-related fields, including:

• Export control licensing, classification, or enforcement — dual-use lists, catch-all controls, end-user screening
• Treaty and agreement implementation — NPT, CTBT, safeguards agreements, bilateral cooperation agreements
• Proliferation pathway and programme analysis at a laboratory, agency, ministry, or research institute
• Sanctions, procurement network, or illicit trade analysis
• Open-source and technical analysis of nuclear programmes

Beyond Technical Expertise

This is writing-intensive work. Every judgment requires a clear written rationale accessible to non-specialists. Prior technical writing, published research, or expert witness experience is a strong signal — please include a writing sample or link with your application.

Important Note

All work must be based solely on unclassified, non-export-controlled, and non-NDA-covered information. If you hold such obligations, you may still qualify — simply note this in your application and the scope will be adjusted accordingly.