Economics PhD - Benchmark Specialist

Mercor connects elite creative and technical talent with leading AI research labs. Headquartered in San Francisco, our investors include Benchmark, General Catalyst, Peter Thiel, Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers, and Jack Dorsey.

About the role

We are seeking an Applied Economics & Finance Benchmark Specialist for a contract position. This remote role requires a commitment of 10+ hours per week, with compensation ranging from $77–$98 per hour.

Responsibilities

• Author original economics and finance questions that test deep conceptual understanding.
• Ensure questions are unambiguous, self-contained, and precisely defined.
• Rate each question's difficulty: Medium, Hard, or Expert.
• Provide 1 correct answer and 9 plausible but subtly incorrect alternatives.
• Write step-by-step Chain-of-Thought solutions in markdown format.
• Supply 1–5 academic references per question from reputable sources.
• For verification tasks: flag issues with clarity, completeness, precision, or solvability and justify any edits made.

Requirements

• PhD or doctoral candidate in Economics, Finance, or a closely related field. (Master's degree considered for candidates with exceptional depth in a specific subdomain.)
• Strong command of graduate-level economic theory, quantitative methods, and financial modeling.
• Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with academic research, CFA/CPA certification, or financial industry expertise.