Principal Energetics Process Engineer
The future must be created.
01 THE ROLE
Chemistry is the invisible layer under every critical system, and the supply chain behind it has become a weapon. Ohr makes the molecules that matter most, from the atom up: energetics, propellants, rare-earth extractants and the ignition chemicals already in production today.
Ohr makes energetic materials and the precursors they depend on, and we are scaling that production domestically. This role owns the process engineering behind it: designing, scaling, and qualifying manufacturing processes for energetics in an environment where the safety case is not a document produced after the design — it is the design.
THE KIND OF PEOPLE THIS WORK DEMANDS
Our mission demands more than great science. It requires a particular kind of team — visionary builders, hustlers, scientists, operators. Together, we carry both the technical depth to make the chemistry work and the commercial instinct to make the business thrive. P
eople are our engine. Collaboration is our multiplier.
02 WHAT YOU'LL DESIGN AND BUILD
Design, scale, and optimize manufacturing processes for energetic materials and energetic precursors
Own scale-up of energetic formulations from laboratory and pilot operations into qualified production
Lead process safety: Process Hazard Analyses, HAZOPs, FMEAs, explosive safety assessments, in-process quantity limits, and hazard classification
Ensure compliance with ATF, OSHA Process Safety Management, DoD explosive safety standards including DoD 4145.26 and DDESB requirements, MIL specifications, NFPA standards, and environmental regulations
Specify, commission, and qualify equipment for energetic processing — mixing, drying, coating, pressing, and precursor synthesis including nitration where applicable
Own the process documentation production runs on: PFDs, P&IDs, SOPs, work instructions, engineering specifications, and commissioning packages
Transition new formulations out of R&D with the sensitivity, thermal stability, and compatibility data that supports the safety case
Lead incident investigations and corrective and preventive action
Support technical due diligence on energetics manufacturing assets and technologies as Ohr's footprint grows
03 WHAT YOU BRING WITH YOU
You have run energetics in a real facility, and it shows in how you design. You know which unit operations forgive a mistake and which ones don't, you've been through the regulatory process rather than read about it, and you are comfortable being the person who says a process cannot be run safely at rate. You likely have:
A PhD in chemical engineering or chemistry — an MS or BS paired with deeper industrial experience will be considered
10+ years of process engineering experience, including hands-on work in energetics manufacturing or energetic precursor production
Direct experience with energetic material sensitivity, thermal stability, and compatibility, and with the testing that establishes them
Strong Process Safety Management and hazardous materials background in a high-hazard production environment
Experience with process modeling, data analysis, and statistical process control
Experience specifying, commissioning, and qualifying process equipment inside a regulated facility
Excellent technical writing — your documentation will be read by regulators and auditors
Strong plus
Nitration chemistry or oxidizer precursor production experience
ATF licensing and DDESB siting experience
Pyrotechnics (BKNO3) or high-explosive pellet pressing experience
Propellant or ordnance qualification programs, and experience with process simulation tools such as Aspen Plus, ChemCAD, or AVEVA
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
AFTER 3 MONTHS
You own the process safety case and the scale-up path for our lead energetic product line
AFTER 6–12 MONTHS
A qualified, documented energetics process running at rate
Hazard analyses, explosive safety assessments, and the regulatory package that stand behind it
New formulations moving out of R&D on a repeatable path rather than a bespoke one