Propulsion & Effects Engineer - Remote AI Red Teaming
Listing checked September 15, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
This task-based remote project brings together propulsion and energetic materials specialists to red-team frontier AI models. The panel tests whether a model can judge the misuse potential of a technical request: answering legitimate questions and refusing dangerous ones. You will write single-turn prompts across three labels, benign, dual-use, and adversarial, then review model responses against a policy standard. The domain sits on the dual-use line, where the same analysis that qualifies a motor for flight also describes a capability. This work needs practitioners because generalists struggle to draw that line with consistency.
What You'll Do7
- 1Write single-turn prompts in propulsion, effects, or initiation engineering, with each prompt labelled benign, dual-use, or adversarial.
- 2Evaluate model answers against a defined policy standard and judge whether the response handled the request as it should.
- 3Draft reference answers that show a correct response, including the technical reasoning behind each call.
- 4Separate routine professional questions from requests that seek misuse potential, using your own hardware and test experience.
- 5Document every judgment in language a non-specialist can follow, since the work is writing-intensive.
- 6Flag refusals of safe technical questions and answers to unsafe ones as failures of the same standard.
- 7Keep all prompt and evaluation material free of classified, export-controlled, NDA-covered, or prepublication-review content.
Requirements7
- 1Hands-on work designing, qualifying, or testing propulsion or initiation systems, backed by real hardware and test data.
- 2Depth in at least one relevant area: munitions or warhead design, solid, liquid, or hybrid propulsion, terminal effects, fuzing and safe-and-arm, or test range engineering and instrumentation.
- 3Ability to tell a routine performance or qualification question from one that fishes for misuse potential.
- 4Strong technical writing. Prior published research, expert witness work, or a writing sample is a strong signal.
- 5Comfort reading and writing about misuse scenarios in your field for long stretches. You can pause or step away at any time without penalty.
- 6Red-teaming experience helps, but it is not mandatory.
- 7No reliance on classified or export-controlled information. If you hold an NDA or prepublication review obligation, disclose it in your application.
Who Should Apply
Engineers who have taken propulsion, fuzing, or effects systems through design, test, and qualification will fit this panel best. The role rewards people who can explain the dual-use line in plain language and back it with hardware experience, not just theory. Candidates with only classroom knowledge, no test data, or no writing sample tend to score low because the task depends on real programs and clear rationale. This work is less suitable for generalists who avoid misuse scenario writing or who cannot disclose NDA and export-control obligations. A common rejection reason is a weak reference answer that skips the technical reasoning behind a benign or adversarial label.
Salary Insight
The posting lists $75 as a one-time payment for the task, not a per-hour or annual rate. That amount fits a short, discrete contribution, so ask how many prompt sets the panel expects and how long each review cycle takes before you commit. No other compensation details appear in the source.
Pay and demand for Cybersecurity roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$65/hour
This role
$75 fixed
Most Cybersecurity roles pay $50–$95 per hour.
Based on 63 similar roles that publish pay · 6 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave
Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.
- Live similar roles
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- Listed in last 30 days
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- Remote
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Hiring most right now: Neon (27) · micro1 (26) · AfterQuery (7)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- technical writing29%
- red teaming26%
- penetration testing22%
- reverse engineering21%
Figures from Cybersecurity roles live on NearSkill when this page loaded. A role can close before you apply, so check the listing itself.
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Compensation
$75 fixed
Required Skills
Application Tip
Attach a redacted writing sample or link that shows how you explain a dual-use propulsion decision to a non-specialist, and name the systems you designed, qualified, or tested: motor type, test stand, fuzing architecture, or effects model. State any NDA, export-control, or prepublication review obligations up front so the scope can be set. A specific sample plus hardware details will raise your fit score more than a general resume.
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