Director of Synthetic Chemistry

Ohr•Lafayette, CO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Ohr is hiring a Director of Synthetic Chemistry to lead chemistry across its energetics, mining and metals, and polymer programs. The role owns synthetic route selection across the three verticals, balancing delivered cost per kilogram with process hazards and setting standards for proposing, costing, assessing, and documenting routes. The energetics program is to progress from a 1 kg characterized sample in early 2027 to a validated 10 kg/day pilot in 2029. The role also coordinates competing metals campaigns, maintains a pipeline of candidate products, makes build-or-buy decisions for intermediates, and defends cost models to the board and government customers. The Director leads process safety as part of technical decision-making, including reaction calorimetry, quench design, HAZOP, carcinogen handling, and laboratory siting and insurance discussions. They will establish Ohr’s Colorado laboratory, including equipment specification, long-lead procurement, energetic-material licensing scope, and compliance practices for export-controlled information and procurement-controlled reagents. The role represents the chemistry organization in government program reviews and works with partner laboratories, CDMOs, and customers. The position is onsite five days per week in Lafayette, Colorado, with hands-on work in HazMat and energetics laboratories and travel of up to approximately 15%. At full strength, the organization has eight direct reports, including two senior technical anchors with sequencing authority in their verticals. Relocation assistance is provided. The annual base salary range is $215,000–$275,000, plus equity.

Requirements

PhD in organic, process, or materials chemistry with 12 or more years of experience beyond the degree, or equivalent depth attained another way.
At least 3 years managing chemists against external delivery dates, including hiring and leveling a team from a standing start.
Personal ownership of a synthetic route that reached pilot scale.
Substantial depth in at least one of energetics chemistry or metal extraction chemistry.
Process safety leadership experience including reaction calorimetry, exotherm and quench design, HAZOP participation, and treating hazard as an input to route selection.
Experience selecting routes based on cost per kilogram and ability to explain a specific decision end to end.
Ability to manage ITAR- and export-controlled information and lead a team within that regime.
Strong writing and presentation skills sufficient to defend technical positions in government program reviews.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).
Must be eligible to serve as an employee possessor of explosive materials under federal law and not be a prohibited person under 18 U.S.C. § 842(i).
Able to work onsite five days per week in HazMat and energetics laboratories and travel up to approximately 15%.

Nice To Haves

Delivery experience on government-funded, milestone-based development programs.
Experience establishing a laboratory from scratch, including equipment specification, licensing, long-lead procurement, and initial operating discipline.
Experience converting exothermic or corrosive batch chemistry to flow or continuous processes.
Experience with insensitive high explosives, work in an ATF-licensed facility, or familiarity with DoW explosive safety standards.
Experience with hydrometallurgical reagents, chelating ligands, or solvent extraction chemistry.
Experience with condensation polymer chemistry where product specification is a molecular weight distribution.
Active security clearance or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

Own synthetic route selection across energetics, mining and metals, and polymer programs, balancing delivered cost per kilogram and hazard.
Set and uphold standards for proposing, costing, assessing, and documenting synthetic routes.
Lead the energetics program from a 1 kg characterized sample in early 2027 to a validated 10 kg/day pilot in 2029, including design of experiments, pilot design basis, review, HAZOP, and commissioning.
Sequence campaigns competing for shared laboratory capacity and determine priorities and schedule tradeoffs across product lines.
Lead process safety, including calorimetry programs, exotherm and quench design, hazardous-material handling cases, and laboratory siting and insurance discussions.
Maintain a pipeline of candidate products and conduct kill tests when needed.
Make build-or-buy decisions for intermediates and defend cost models to the board and government customers.
Establish the Colorado laboratory, including equipment specification, long-lead procurement, energetic-material licensing scope, and compliance practices for export control and procurement-controlled reagents.
Represent the chemistry organization in government program reviews and with partner laboratories, CDMOs, and customers.
Hire and manage chemists against external delivery dates, including building and leveling the team.
Develop a campaign sequence across the three verticals and establish a repeatable route, hazard, and cost review process.