Military Operations and International Humanitarian Law Expert

About OpenTrain

OpenTrain is the #1 platform for finding and building careers in AI training and data labeling. We connect subject-matter experts with organizations that need high-quality human insight to teach and evaluate AI systems.

On OpenTrain you build a persistent profile and portfolio of AI training work, discover projects across the industry, and apply in minutes — all while growing a freelance career that centers your expertise.

About AI training and why this work matters

AI systems learn from human-generated examples and judgments. That human work—annotation, evaluation, and expert feedback—directly shapes how models reason, prioritize, and behave.

Contributors to AI training do remote, flexible work that is often entry-accessible but also rewards deep domain knowledge. This project sits at the intersection of operational expertise and conflict ethics, where careful human input is essential to safe, lawful AI use.

About this role

We are recruiting Military Operations and International Humanitarian Law Experts to contribute to a defense-policy and humanitarian-law project. You will apply specialized knowledge to train next-generation AI systems, shaping model reasoning on operational and legal questions in conflict settings.

This is a remote contract position (part-time) requiring subject-matter expertise and strong written and verbal communication to translate complex concepts into structured inputs for model training and evaluation.

What you'll do

Your primary work is design, evaluation, and documentation to support AI training and testing in defense and humanitarian contexts. Tasks are delivered as annotated documents, rubrics, taxonomies, and scenario-based evaluations.

• Develop comprehensive taxonomies for military use and defense operations across diverse conflict contexts.
• Create dual-use triage frameworks to distinguish military from civilian applications of technology and knowledge.
• Establish clear boundaries for prohibited assistance under international humanitarian law for model training and evaluation.
• Design conflict-risk rubrics and scenario-based evaluation tools assessing operational and ethical implications.
• Evaluate and refine policy-relevant benchmarks to ensure responsible testing of AI models in defense/humanitarian contexts.
• Contribute written and verbal analyses that articulate warfighting, targeting, and IHL concepts for interdisciplinary audiences.

Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate deep, practical knowledge and the ability to convert that knowledge into structured, reproducible inputs for AI training.

• Deep understanding of warfighting, weapons targeting, defense operations, and international humanitarian law.
• Expertise applying conflict ethics, IHL, and defense policy frameworks to real-world scenarios.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to convey technical and ethical concepts clearly and concisely.
• Able to work remotely and commit 20+ hours per week on a contract basis.

Helpful background and experience

The project values seasoned practitioners and analysts who bring credibility and operational perspective to sensitive policy questions.

• 5+ years of relevant military, defense analysis, or IHL experience is preferred; senior contributors often have 8–20 years.
• Advanced degree (MA, LLM, PhD) or equivalent operational experience in military science, security studies, international law, or related fields is a plus.
• Experience in research, policy analysis, advisory roles, war-crimes investigation, or weapons-policy development is advantageous.

Compensation, logistics, and the work product

This remote contract role pays between $50 and $90 USD per hour. The client and OpenTrain will discuss scheduling and specific deliverables during screening.

Work centers on DOCUMENT data: evaluation ratings and RLHF-style annotations and analyses. Labeling software is listed as OTHER; expect to produce written rubrics, ratings, and scenario evaluations rather than pixel- or audio-level annotations.

• Hourly rate: $50–$90 USD (PAY_PER_HOUR).
• Time commitment: 20+ hours per week (part-time contractor).
• Label types: EVALUATION_RATING and RLHF applied to document-based tasks.

Who should apply and how it works

This role is a strong fit for subject-matter experts who want to shape how AI systems behave in conflict and humanitarian contexts while working flexibly and remotely.

To apply, create or use your OpenTrain profile and submit your credentials. Screening will review experience, practical examples of relevant work, and your ability to translate operational/IHL knowledge into structured training inputs.

• Worldwide applicants accepted; English required.
• Employment type: Contractor, Part-time.
• Screening will discuss scheduling and scope; deliverables are documentation, taxonomies, rubrics, and evaluation judgments.