Cybersecurity Research Expert – Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research
$200–250/hr
Remote part time coding contract with Mercor, $200–250/hr. Posted Aug 3.
$200–250/hr
Apply on MercorIs this job worth applying to?
- Pay
- Above typicalTops out at $250/hr. The typical top rate across 237 priced coding listings is $90/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
- Older postPosted 3mo ago. Still listed on Mercor on Nov 6, 2026.
- Where you live
- Not statedThe listing names no country.
The job description
We're looking for highly accomplished Cybersecurity Research Experts to help evaluate cutting-edge AI systems in advanced security reasoning, vulnerability analysis, exploit development, and secure software engineering. This project is ideal for practitioners with a strong track record in offensive security research and publicly recognised technical contributions.
What You'll Do
- Evaluate AI-generated analyses of complex cybersecurity scenarios, exploits, and vulnerability reports.
- Review technical writeups for correctness, exploitability, and mitigation quality.
- Validate vulnerability root-cause analysis across software, operating systems, networking, cloud, and web applications.
- Provide structured feedback on security reasoning, exploit chains, and defensive recommendations.
- Contribute to benchmark development for advanced AI security capabilities.
Ideal Background
We are looking for candidates with multiple of the following credentials:
- Member of a top-ranked Capture The Flag (CTF) team with demonstrated competitive achievements.
- Discoverer or co-author of CVEs affecting widely used open-source or commercial software.
- Publicly recognised bug bounty researcher with findings accepted by major programs (e.g., Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, GitHub, Mozilla, Chromium, Kubernetes, Linux Foundation, etc.).
- Research experience at a well-respected security laboratory or academic research group (e.g., KAIST Security Lab, SSLab, university security research groups, or equivalent industry research organisations).
- Author of high-quality security research publications, conference papers, or widely cited technical writeups.
- Strong understanding of exploit development, reverse engineering, binary analysis, vulnerability research, operating systems, networks, web security, or cryptography.
Preferred Qualifications
- Professional experience in offensive security, application security, vulnerability research, product security, or security engineering.
- Experience with reverse engineering tools such as IDA Pro, Ghidra, Binary Ninja, or Radare2.
- Familiarity with fuzzing, symbolic execution, static analysis, or dynamic analysis frameworks.
- Experience with Linux internals, Windows internals, browser security, cloud security, embedded security, or mobile security.
- Strong programming skills in C/C++, Rust, Python, Go, or Java.
- Excellent written communication and ability to explain complex security concepts clearly.
Nice to Have
- Hall of Fame recognition from major bug bounty programs.
- Black Hat, DEF CON, USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, NDSS, or similar conference presentations/publications.
- Maintainer or significant contributor to well-known open-source security tools.
- Offensive Security certifications (OSCP, OSEP, OSCE3), GIAC certifications, or equivalent credentials.
Why Join?
- Work on frontier AI models tackling real-world cybersecurity problems.
- Collaborate with leading researchers on advanced security evaluation tasks.
- Help shape the next generation of AI systems for cybersecurity.
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.