Manufacturing – Chemical Engineering Expert Part-time NEW

Manufacturing – Chemical Engineering Expert

$55-$75 per hour

Hourly contract Remote Early applicant

Location Requirements: USA

Role Overview

Mercor is partnering with leading AI labs on Project Atlas — an initiative to build realistic enterprise environments that frontier AI agents are trained and evaluated in. We're seeking experienced chemical-engineering professionals from Fortune 500 chemical, petrochemical, and specialty-materials companies (e.g., Dow, DuPont, LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil Chemical, Eastman, Air Products, BASF US) to recreate the digital workspaces they run every day and design the tasks that genuinely challenge state-of-the-art AI.

You'll bring your expertise in process engineering, plant operations, R&D / scale-up, or EH&S to build a high-fidelity environment that mirrors the tools, files, and workflows of a large process-industries enterprise — and then author tasks grounded in the programs you actually run today.

Key Responsibilities

• Build a realistic digital workspace centered on the Drive folders you use day-to-day — the process flow diagrams, P&IDs, PHA / HAZOP reports, mass & energy balance models, turnaround plans, OSHA PSM documentation, and email threads that reflect how you actually organize your work — with some representation of the platforms that support it (e.g., Aspen Plus / CHEMKIN, ANSYS Fluent, Siemens Opcenter)
• Design multi-step tasks grounded in your real workflows that require navigating multiple apps, files, and stakeholders in a way that meaningfully challenges frontier AI agents
• Collaborate with other chemical-engineering experts in your field to design the environment, shape task scope, and review each other's scenarios for realism and rigor
• Work asynchronously with research teams to refine task designs and evaluation criteria for chemical-process agent benchmarks
• Contribute to frontier AI research and benchmarking — the work you produce directly informs how leading labs train and evaluate the next generation of AI systems

Ideal Qualifications

• BS / MS / PhD in Chemical Engineering or related discipline
• 3+ years of full-time experience at a Fortune 500 chemical, petrochemical, or specialty-materials company, or major engineering / EPC firm
• Background in one or more areas such as:
  • Process design, simulation, or scale-up
  • Plant operations, operations engineering, or turnaround planning
  • Process safety (PHA / HAZOP, PSM under 29 CFR 1910.119)
  • R&D or product development
  • EH&S, emissions compliance, or sustainability engineering
• PE license a plus
• Day-to-day use of CHEMKIN / Aspen Plus, ANSYS Fluent / STAR-CCM+, and Siemens Opcenter or Rockwell FactoryTalk
• Strong analytical thinking and writing — able to translate process-industry workflows into structured task specs

Compensation Note: This project is expected to begin on an effective hourly rate, but will transition to a model where experts are compensated based on throughput of quality work rather than a flat accruing hourly rate.

About Mercor: Mercor is a talent marketplace that connects top experts with leading AI labs and research organizations. Backed by investors including Benchmark, General Catalyst, Adam D'Angelo, and Jack Dorsey. Thousands of professionals across domains contribute to projects shaping the next generation of AI systems.

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.