MercorDomain experts
Excel Expert: General
up to $100/hr
About this role, in Mercor's words
Join a leading technology company's GenAI initiative and put your Excel expertise at the core of how the next generation of AI models learns to work in spreadsheets.
A closer look
More context, when you need it.
Full job descriptionThe original posting, in Mercor's words
Posted by Mercor, reproduced here so you can judge the role before clicking. Original posting ↗
Join a leading technology company's GenAI initiative and put your Excel expertise at the core of how the next generation of AI models learns to work in spreadsheets.
1. Overview
We're seeking advanced Excel experts with broad, cross-industry experience — versatile professionals who have applied Excel at an expert level across a range of functions and industries, rather than in a single niche. Your expertise will directly elevate the quality of the training data behind the most advanced Large Language Models.
This role is for generalists who bring genuine breadth — modeling, data analysis, dashboards, and automation applied across multiple domains and business functions.
This is a W-2 employment position with Cincinnatus LLC, with the opportunity to be placed at a leading technology company as part of their extended workforce.
2. Key Responsibilities
• Guide research teams to close knowledge gaps and improve AI model performance on Excel-based tasks across a range of domains.
• Design realistic Excel tasks drawn from your professional experience, and write accurate, well-structured solutions.
• Evaluate Excel tasks and solutions and provide clear, written feedback.
• Collaborate with other subject matter experts to ensure consistency and accuracy in training data.
3. Core Qualifications
• Demonstrated advanced, professional-level Excel expertise , including advanced formulas (e.g., XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, dynamic arrays), PivotTables, data modeling, dashboards, Power Query, Power Pivot, and macros/VBA.
• Breadth of Excel application across multiple industries and business functions — not single-function specialization — is a strong plus.
• Teaching or training experience and/or a PhD is a strong plus.
• Prior experience in AI training, human data annotation, or model evaluation — ideally Rubrics-trained on Mercor or a comparable platform — is a strong plus.
• Demonstrable career progression in your field.
• Ability to engage reliably for 40 hours/week during weekdays through the end of September, then 20 hours/week thereafter .
• Verbal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills.
• United States–based only.
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.
Working with MercorPay, getting started and work, from Mercor's own pages
What the platform publishes in general. These are not extra terms confirmed for this particular role.
- Getting paid
- Hourly work is paid every Wednesday for the previous week, through Stripe Connect or Wise, whichever Mercor assigns to your region. Stripe holds the first payout for 7 days. talent.docs.mercor.com/how-to/payments, talent.docs.mercor.com/policies/contracts
- Before your first paid task
- An AI interview of about 20 minutes, reused for other roles that need it, then any assessments the role asks for. Before logging hours: ID verification through Persona, a tax form, the contract documents, the Insightful time tracker, and a background check the onboarding guide says usually takes one to two weeks. talent.docs.mercor.com/support/ai-interview, talent.docs.mercor.com/how-to/apply, talent.docs.mercor.com/policies/contracts, talent.docs.mercor.com/how-to/id-verification, talent.docs.mercor.com/working/project-onboarding
- How much work
- Hearing back after the AI interview usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. When a project ends you are not moved to a new one automatically. talent.docs.mercor.com/support/ai-interview, talent.docs.mercor.com/support/project
- Contract
- Independent contractor with Mercor.io Corporation of San Francisco, which deducts no taxes. talent.docs.mercor.com/policies/taxes-work-authorization, talent.docs.mercor.com/support/legal
Read on the pages linked above on 23 Sep 2026. Platforms change these terms, so check the linked page before you rely on one.
Alex's experience on MercorA personal account, not a promise about your project
Alexruns this site and has worked on Mercor himself. Written 31 Aug 2026.
- Every interview I took used an AI interviewer. They always checked my microphone and camera and asked me to share my screen, and some included a timed exercise of around 25 minutes.
- Many later applications needed no new interview from me. With the required assessments complete and no other outstanding steps, applying could be close to one click.
- The application I checked did not ask for a rate. My offer matched my minimum in Work Preferences. That does not establish that Mercor always caps higher offers at your preference.
- Onboarding and setup came to about 4 hours, with more security and tool setup. Of the three platforms I worked on, it was the most complicated for me. That is an estimate from my projects, not a platform average.
- Mercor required the Insightful tracker on my project. I observed app and website usage monitoring, and I am unsure which screenshot settings applied, so check the configuration.
- I was paid for hours logged, once every 14 days, and I have not experienced late or incorrect payments. That was my arrangement. Mercor's current documentation describes weekly payout cycles, so check your own offer.
One person's applications, not a promise about yours.
What happens after you apply, first-handHow does the pay compare?Across Domain experts roles, not this role alone
From our own daily reads of every open listing on the platforms we follow, not from Mercor's posting. How we count.
Pay across the field: Domain experts
Across 699 roles in this field with a stated hourly rate in US dollars, on 18 platforms, the middle half pays $65 to $130 an hour at the top of the range, and the median is $100. This role's top rate, $100, is in the middle half. Of the 261 distinct rates we count, 125 are lower and 110 are higher.
| Platform | Roles | Top of range, per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Alignerr | 149 | $24 to $200 · median $80 |
| micro1 | 136 | $28 to $400 · median $110 |
| AfterQuery | 88 | $45 to $175 · median $100 |
| Handshake AI | 79 | $30 to $300 · median $85 |
| Mercor (this platform) | 77 | $55 to $450 · median $120 |
Sources and listing historyWhere this information comes from
This listing's history
- First seen here on 13 Sep 2026, and still on Mercor's list when we last read it on 13 Oct 2026.
- The listed pay has not changed since then.
- Posted by Mercor
- First seen by AIPayList
- Last seen live
- Listing ID
- list_AAABoJf7our4yArt1RZFnIec
Pay as the source states it: “70–100 USD HOUR”.
Platforms sometimes change a rate after posting. Every listing here is re-read at least once a day and corrected when its source moves, so a difference you see on the platform is usually a change made since the last read. How freshness works.
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