Senior Energetics Development Engineer

Ohr•Lafayette, CO

21h•Onsite

About The Position

Ohr is seeking a Senior Energetics Development Engineer to bridge bench-scale chemistry and processes that can be built and scaled. The engineer will work directly with R&D chemists and an external partner laboratory, interpreting experimental results and translating them into early engineering designs that support scale-up decisions. The role includes developing mass and energy balances, block flow diagrams, preliminary equipment concepts, and technoeconomic inputs; planning and interpreting laboratory testing; and designing and running kilo-lab and small-scale campaigns. The engineer will define analytical and characterization requirements with chemists and generate early hazard characterization data, including sensitivity, DSC, TGA, and compatibility studies. They will document the design basis, assumptions, and risks, then hand off development work to production process engineering and remain involved through initial campaigns. This is an onsite position in Lafayette, Colorado, in the Denver–Boulder Metro Area, with travel up to 15% to laboratories, partner facilities, and test sites. Relocation assistance is provided. The annual base salary range is $140,000–$180,000, commensurate with experience, plus equity. Candidates must meet the stated U.S. export-control eligibility requirements and be eligible to serve as an employee possessor of explosive materials.

Requirements

A degree in chemical engineering or chemistry (BS, MS, or PhD).
7–10+ years of experience across R&D and process engineering, with substantive experience on both sides.
Experience running or supporting scale-up campaigns from laboratory to kilo-lab scale.
Experience working with external laboratories, partners, or contract research organizations.
Comfort with design of experiments, applied statistics, and incomplete data.
Ability to develop a defensible mass and energy balance from imperfect bench data and clearly state assumptions.
Strong technical writing skills; design basis documents are a deliverable.
Must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, or a protected individual under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), due to access to data and systems subject to U.S. export controls, including ITAR.
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).

Nice To Haves

Experience in energetics, propellants, or pyrotechnics.
Nitration or energetic precursor chemistry experience.
Technoeconomic modeling and early-stage cost estimation experience.
Thermal hazard analysis experience, including DSC, TGA, and ARC, and small-scale sensitivity testing.

Responsibilities

Translate bench- and small-scale R&D results into early engineering designs, including mass and energy balances, block flow diagrams, preliminary equipment concepts, and technoeconomic inputs.
Serve as the engineering interface to the external partner laboratory by shaping test plans, interpreting results, and incorporating findings into the design basis.
Design and run kilo-lab and small-scale campaigns that produce data needed for scale-up decisions.
Define analytical and characterization requirements with chemists, including specifying success criteria before capital is committed.
Generate early hazard characterization data, including sensitivity, DSC, TGA, and compatibility studies.
Document the design basis, assumptions, and open risks for the process engineering team.
Hand off work to production process engineering and remain engaged through the first campaigns.