Research Program Manager

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

Mercor is building benchmarks and evaluation systems that help measure and improve frontier AI models. As a Research Program Manager, you will play a central role in coordinating the development, release, and communication of these benchmarks. You’ll work across research, operations, and marketing to ensure evaluations are executed rigorously, results are shared with the broader AI community, and new benchmarks launch smoothly. This is a hands-on role that requires strong attention to detail, high-intensity problem-solving, and a passion for building scalable processes that support cutting-edge AI research.

Core Responsibilities

As a research program manager, you will:

• Design, scope, and support the creation of new benchmarks

• Run and monitor new evals

• Conceptualise and execute net new research projects

• Develop deep expertise in a domain of your choice, and become a trusted advisor within Mercor

• Build frameworks for evaluating models, auditing benchmarks, and understanding model strengths and weaknesses

• Support customer-facing deliveries where research taste is required

• Develop the messaging for new benchmarks and other releases from the team

• Support with marketing for benchmarks and evals, including new blogs and socials

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: Background in academic research, applied research, or tech consulting, ideally 2-3 years of professional experience.

• Skills: Strong analytical and communication abilities; proven track record of managing complex projects.

• Mindset: Excited by “scrappy" work

Compensation

• Base cash comp from $150K-$225k

• Competitive equity grant

• $15K relocation bonus (for moving to the Bay Area)

• $10K housing bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office)

• $1.5K monthly stipend for meals

• $200 monthly laundry reimbursement

• $200 monthly personal wellness reimbursement

• Free Equinox membership

• Health, Dental, Vision insurance401(k) with company match