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
04 REQUIREMENTS
This role involves access to data and systems subject to U.S. export control regulations, including ITAR. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, or a protected individual as defined under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).
This role also involves access to explosive materials. Candidates must be eligible to serve as an “employee possessor” of explosive materials under federal law, meaning they are not a prohibited person as defined under 18 U.S.C. § 842(i).
05 COMPENSATION
This is an onsite role based in the Denver–Boulder Metro Area (Lafayette, CO), with travel up to 15% to production sites, laboratories, and test facilities. Relocation Assistance offered. The annual base salary range for this position is $160,000 – $220,000, commensurate with experience, plus equity. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, experience, and qualifications.
Be a creationary.
Skills Required
- PhD in chemical engineering or chemistry, or MS/BS with deeper industrial experience
- 10+ years of process engineering experience
- Hands-on experience in energetics manufacturing or energetic precursor production
- Experience with energetic material sensitivity, thermal stability, compatibility, and related testing
- Strong Process Safety Management and hazardous materials experience in a high-hazard production environment
- Experience with process modeling, data analysis, and statistical process control
- Experience specifying, commissioning, and qualifying process equipment in a regulated facility
- Excellent technical writing skills
- 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 program experience
- Experience with Aspen Plus, ChemCAD, or AVEVA
- Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. 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
What We Do
Ohr is building the chemical prime for critical government industries. Chemistry is the invisible foundation of every critical system, and the molecules that matter most are made by too few suppliers, in too few places, with too much dependence on adversaries. Ohr creates new routes to those molecules from abundant domestic feedstocks and manufactures them for the United States and its allies. The company builds four chemistries for a single system: ignition chemicals, already in production as a qualified domestic source; propellants and binders, including a cycloalkane rocket-grade kerosene denser than conventional RP-1; rare-earth extractants that separate neodymium and praseodymium at many times conventional selectivity; and insensitive explosives made without toxic intermediates. Ohr grows on two engines. The first is its chemistry platform, with a pipeline toward a hundred critical molecules. The second is acquiring the bottleneck that takes years to build: licensed sites, qualified lines and embedded defense customers. Every acquired plant becomes a home for Ohr molecules, and every new molecule adds product to plants Ohr already owns. Ohr is venture-backed with $75M raised, operates in the United States and Israel, and partners with U.S. and allied defense agencies, primes and industrial leaders. Welcome to Creationary Chemistry.
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