MercorResearch Operations, Code
Mercor is hiring a Research Operations, Code in San Francisco, United States. It pays $130k-$250k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Mercor.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this role Works on AI ●●●○: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- The posting mentions Python, AI research and software development among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a mid-level role.
- Mercor has 107 other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
Own and scale data programs, workflows, and pipelines to train and evaluate frontier coding models.
Mercor's mission is to organize human intelligence to power the AI economy. We're a leading AI data company, building the layer between human expertise and frontier models. Millions of domain experts on the platform are paid over $4 million per day to train frontier AI models. Mercor's APEX benchmark family measures AI's real-world impact on professional work. Mercor Enterprise brings this same infrastructure to Fortune 500 companies: helping companies capture how their best people actually work, translating that expertise directly back into agents.
Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious, fast-paced and deeply committed team. You’ll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society. Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our San Francisco, NYC, or London offices.
About the Role
In the Research Operations role at Mercor, you will work at the intersection of engineering and applied AI research. This role will own multi-million-dollar data programs end to end with responsibilities to:
Reason about opportunities for frontier coding models, and translate that into the data that will make it stronger.
Shape how data gets produced, including human-expert workflows, synthetic generation pipelines, and model-in-the-loop systems.
Turn designs into scaled, high-quality data pipelines and own deliveries to customers.
Build deep relationships with lab researchers and become the person they trust to tell them what data they actually need.
What We're Looking For
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a STEM field, or an equivalent technical discipline.
At least two years of experience in software development or a forward deployed engineering role.
A track record of running complex, high-stakes projects end to end, and genuine energy for large-scale execution and gritty process optimization under pressure.
Strong analytical and communication skills; comfortable owning high-profile relationships with technical customers.
Nice To Have
Experience designing scalable data or automation pipelines
Research fluency: connecting model/benchmark literature to what data would move a frontier model; having created a benchmark or published analysis of model behavior.
Backgrounds that often fit: data scientists, software engineers, or forward deployed engineers who love operating, technical PMs, research engineers, or strong generalist operators with real technical range. Backgrounds from consulting, finance, or high-growth startups can work if paired with real technical fluency.
Benefits
Bi-annual performance bonus structure
Generous equity grant vested over 4 years
Up to $15k Relocation bonus
$10K proximity bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office)
$1.5K monthly stipend for meals
Free Equinox membership
$200 monthly laundry reimbursement
$200 monthly personal wellness reimbursement
Health, Dental, Vision insurance
How we rate this
Research Operations, Code at Mercor rates 65 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a research question you investigated. What did you find?
- Tell me about a project where software development was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where data pipelines was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where ai models was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where project management was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: AI Research, Software Development, Data Pipelines, AI Models, and Project Management. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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