Combat Arms & Targeting SME — Frontier AI Research & Benchmarking

Operating at the intersection of enterprise data governance and foundation model alignment, ZR Talent Group is conducting an executive search for a distinguished Combat Arms & Targeting SME — Frontier AI Research & Benchmarking ($60 - $110/hour). This institutional engagement tasks qualified domain authorities in Targeting & fires judgment, Boundary discrimination, Utility assessment with establishing empirical benchmark standards, auditing complex model reasoning chains, and validating multi-step autonomous workflows under strict enterprise evaluation criteria.

Operational Scope & Core Responsibilities

• Map authentic military-activity scenarios to an approved taxonomy, clearly delineating between conceptual explanation, lawful policy/readiness support, evidence curation, and the controlled boundary with operational decision support, destructive execution, autonomous weapons, and unlawful planning.
• Identify and propose nuanced or non-obvious boundary cases that might be misclassified by less-experienced reviewers, ensuring nuanced judgment is captured.
• Evaluate and grade AI-generated responses for source handling, proper expression of uncertainty (such as conflicting pattern-of-life intelligence), reasoning quality, stated limitations, and operational utility.
• Flag instances where AI models incorrectly refuse to engage with valid conceptual or policy questions, supporting the ongoing refinement of model parameters.
• Document edge cases, gray areas, and points of disagreement, maintaining a defensible and transparent answer key for model training and review processes.
• Support continuous refinement of project guidelines by sharing insights from operational, targeting, and fires expertise.

Professional Background & Competencies

• Experience with AI model evaluation, wargaming, or red-teaming is valued but not required.
• Extensive hands-on experience in joint or service-specific fires, targeting, or weapons employment decision-making (e.g., combat pilot, battle manager, JTAC, field or air-defense artillery officer, naval strike officer, carrier air-wing targeteer, or Aegis-qualified TAO/IAMD WTI).
• Advanced tactical training, such as TOPGUN, USAF Weapons School, Joint Firepower Course, or non-US allied equivalents.
• Demonstrated teaching, leadership, or evaluative experience (e.g., WTI, instructor, mission commander, or debrief facilitator).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to articulate operational judgment clearly and succinctly.
• Strong capability to assess targeting and fires utility, discriminate boundaries, and provide clear justifications.
• Law-of-armed-conflict or rules-of-engagement fluency from an operational perspective (not a legal role), considered a plus.

Institutional Remuneration & Contract Specifications

• Compensation Rate: $60 - $110/hour (verified contractor remuneration)
• Work Arrangement: 100% Remote / Work From Home
• Eligible Remote Countries: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa
• Core Competencies: Targeting & fires judgment, Boundary discrimination, Utility assessment
• Hiring Lead: Nathaniel Cross (Principal AI Placement Director) at ZR Talent Group

Direct Application Process: Click the Apply button on this page to submit your profile directly for immediate evaluation.