Mechanical Engineering & Simulation Expert – Hephaestus
$70–90/hr
Remote STEM contract with Mercor, $70–90/hr. Posted Nov 4.
$70–90/hr
Apply on MercorIs this job worth applying to?
- Pay
- Above typicalTops out at $90/hr. The typical top rate across 148 priced STEM listings is $70/hr.
- Getting in
- Some screening~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview. Resume showing real experience in your field.
- Steady work
- Work is patchyProjects can pause or end with little notice.
- Payout record
- Pays on timeSchedule: weekly, every Wednesday. Paid via Stripe (Wise in a few countries).
- Freshness
- FreshPosted 2d ago. Still listed on Mercor on Nov 6, 2026.
- Where you live
- Not statedThe listing names no country.
The job description
Role Overview
Mercor is seeking experienced mechanical engineers to build and validate technical tasks for AI systems working on product design, engineering analysis, and simulation. The work focuses on native CAD and analysis artifacts, physically sound models, reproducible solver runs, and measurable design outcomes.
Contributors develop tasks within their specialties, including CAD and assemblies, structural or thermal analysis, fluid mechanics, and manufacturing engineering. CAD evaluation, finite-element analysis, and computational fluid dynamics are distinct workflows; the modeling and verification method should fit the task.
Key Responsibilities
- Create realistic engineering problems with native geometry, assemblies, materials, loads, boundary conditions, and design requirements.
- Build and debug analysis models in relevant areas such as stress and deformation, thermal behavior, vibration, or fluid flow. For simulation tasks, assess mesh quality, convergence, sensitivity, and physical consistency.
- Produce reference solutions and reproducible CAD, FEA, or CFD workflows using tools appropriate to the problem, such as SolidWorks, FreeCAD, CATIA, ANSYS, CalculiX, OpenFOAM, or equivalents.
- Define checks for dimensions, assembly relationships, mass properties, manufacturability, stress, displacement, temperature, pressure drop, or other relevant outputs. Apply numerical checks, artifact inspection, and engineering judgment where each is appropriate.
- Package native files, solver settings, scripts, and results; document assumptions and limitations so another engineer can reproduce the work.
- Validate reference outcomes and incorrect cases, review AI-generated artifacts, and diagnose whether failures arise from the design, model setup, numerical method, or verification logic.
- Apply relevant standards and methods, including ASME or ISO, GD&T, DFM/DFA, and reliability analysis.
Ideal Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience, with direct ownership of product designs, engineering analysis, manufacturing processes, or validation.
- Recent hands-on depth in one or more relevant CAD, FEA, CFD, or thermal-analysis workflows. Expertise across all specialties or all named packages is not required.
- Ability to automate analysis or inspect results using Python, MATLAB, shell scripts, or comparable tools, with coding-agent assistance where useful.
- Strong judgment about model fidelity, material behavior, boundary conditions, numerical convergence, and physical plausibility.
- Clear technical communication and a disciplined approach to reproducible engineering work.
- A professional engineering credential and prior test automation, design documentation, or engineering-training experience are a plus.
Compensation
- Writers: $70–$80/hour.
- Reviewers: $90/hour.
How do you apply to Mercor?
Apply on Mercor
The Apply button opens this post on Mercor's own site. You apply with them, not with Rubric. Budget about 30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview.
Get through screening
What Mercor asks for after you apply:
- Take the recorded AI video interview (practice round available)
- Complete any role-specific assessment and the ID check
- Accept the offer and sign the contract
Start work and get paid
Pay schedule: weekly, every Wednesday. Paid via Stripe (Wise in a few countries). You're paid for the work they hand out, not a fixed salary.
Mercor also needs
- Resume showing real experience in your field
- Webcam with your full face visible for the AI interview
- Government ID
Red flags
- Red flagLong waits with no offer after passing the interview
- Red flagProjects ending abruptly with little warning
What is Mercor like to work for?
Hiring marketplace that screens professionals with an AI video interview and places them on hourly contracts training and evaluating models for AI labs.
| Advertised pay | $20–200/hr |
|---|---|
| Getting in | Some screening |
| Application takes | ~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview |
| How you get paid | Weekly, every Wednesday, via Stripe (Wise in a few countries) |
| Payout record | Pays on time |
| Countries | Hires in many countries and runs its pay week on India Standard Time; Mercor keeps a list of locations it cannot onboard, and some projects are US-only. |
Most listings sit around $50–100/hr; healthcare, legal and finance roles pay the most, language and generalist roles the least.
