Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research
About this role
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.
Details
- Pay: $200 to $250/hr
- Company: Mercor
- Location: Remote
- Eligible locations: Worldwide (no restriction)
- Platform: Mercor
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research role pay?
Mercor lists this Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research position at $200 to $250/hr. Pay is set by Mercor and your exact offer depends on your experience and the scope of the work.
Is the Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research role remote, and can I work from home?
Yes. Mercor lists this Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research position as fully remote, so you can work from home or anywhere with a reliable computer and internet connection.
Is Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research full time or part time?
Mercor lists this as a part-time remote role. Full details are in the role description above.
Which countries can apply for Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research?
Mercor lists this role with no country restriction. Check the Mercor listing for current requirements before applying.
Do I need experience to apply for Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research?
The requirements are listed in the role description above. Mercor screens applicants through its own process, and relevant skills or credentials strengthen your application.
How do I apply for the Cybersecurity Research Expert, Offensive Security & Vulnerability Research role, and is it legit?
Use the apply button on this page to go straight to the official Mercor listing. Mercor is a real hiring marketplace and applying is free. No legitimate employer charges you to apply.
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