History 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 History & Political Science Benchmark Specialist for a contract position. This remote role requires a commitment of 10+ hours per week, with compensation ranging from $44–$56/hour.

Responsibilities

• Author original history and political science 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.

Requirements

• PhD or doctoral candidate in History, Political Science, International Relations, or a closely related field. (Master's degree considered for candidates with exceptional depth in a specific subdomain.)
• Strong command of historiographical methods, political theory, and comparative analysis.
• Excellent written English and ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research publications or policy experience is a strong plus.