Mercor

Program Lead

  • Kind of work: General
  • Location: United States only
  • Experience: Expert
  • Hours: Full time
  • Languages: English

$45–70/hr

Remote full time contract with Mercor, $45–70/hr, open to people in United States. Posted Oct 13.

$45–70/hr

Apply on Mercor

Is this job worth applying to?

Pay
About typicalTops out at $70/hr. The typical top rate across 1,713 priced 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
RecentPosted 3w ago. Still listed on Mercor on Nov 6, 2026.
Where you live
Named countries onlyOpen in United States.

The job description

Join a leading AI lab's cutting-edge GenAI team to be at the core of the AI revolution, where your expertise fuels the development of the most advanced Large Language Models.

1\. Overview

Join a leading AI lab's cutting-edge GenAI team and help build foundational AI models from the ground up. We're seeking talented Program Leads with deep, hands-on experience running AI training data, human data and model evaluation programs to lead large pools of domain experts day to day, turn research inputs into clear guidelines, and elevate the quality and throughput of our AI training data. This is a full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.

This is a W-2 employment position with Cincinnatus LLC, with the opportunity to be placed at a leading AI Lab as part of their extended workforce.

2\. Key Responsibilities

  • Lead and coordinate a large pool of domain experts day to day, including onboarding new experts, running calls and weekly reviews, and keeping work moving against deadlines and quality bars.
  • Guide research and product partners to close gaps between program goals and expert output, translating research and leadership inputs into clear, actionable guidelines and task instructions.
  • Track deliverables, throughput and quality metrics in spreadsheets such as Sheets or Excel, and report program status clearly to stakeholders.
  • Evaluate expert submissions and quality trends, identify root causes of quality issues, and provide clear, written feedback that raises the bar across the team.
  • Flag risks and blockers early, propose fixes, and drive them to resolution with research, product and operations partners.
  • Collaborate with research and product partners and other subject matter experts to ensure consistency and accuracy in training data.

3\. Core Qualifications

  • Experience as an Expert Program Manager (EPM), program lead or team lead on AI training data, human data or model evaluation projects, at Mercor or at another AI training or data company (e.g., Scale AI, Surge, Micro1, Turing, Outlier, Appen, TELUS, or an internal AI data operations team at a large technology company).
  • 3+ years of experience leading or coordinating large contributor or expert teams against deadlines and quality bars.
  • Demonstrable career progression (e.g., Expert Contributor to Reviewer to Team Lead to Program Lead or Expert Program Manager).
  • Ability to engage reliably for at least 40 hours/week during weekdays.
  • Strong written communication skills and the ability to explain complex guidelines and quality decisions clearly.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Prior experience on Mercor projects.
  • A degree in a STEM field.
  • Advanced spreadsheet skills (Sheets or Excel), working knowledge of SQL, and some coding experience.
  • People leadership experience, including managing large groups of contributors or experts.

About Cincinnatus LLC: Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Cincinnatus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

How do you apply to Mercor?

  1. 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.

  2. 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
  3. 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 inSome screening
Application takes~30 min: resume upload + 20-min AI interview
How you get paidWeekly, every Wednesday, via Stripe (Wise in a few countries)
Payout recordPays on time
CountriesHires 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.

$45–70/hrAdvertised payApply on Mercor