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 is building the pilot facilities that turn our chemistry into production, and this role owns the process engineering that gets them built. As Principal Process Engineer you are accountable for the balances, the equipment, the drawings, and the engineering packages that EPC contractors build from — the technical authority that vendors and contractors answer to, and still the person running the calculation yourself.
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. People are our engine. Collaboration is our multiplier.
02 WHAT YOU'LL DESIGN AND BUILD
Own process engineering for Ohr's pilot facilities end to end — heat and material balances, equipment sizing and specification, PFDs, P&IDs, and the engineering packages that get built
Serve as Responsible Engineer across concurrent pilot projects: set the technical position, hold the schedule, own the budget
Lead technical interactions with EPC contractors, equipment vendors, and outside consultants, responding to their needs quickly and clearly
Translate R&D chemistry and biocatalysis into scalable unit operations, surfacing scale-up risk during early engineering
Lead HAZOP, PHA, and risk mitigation for facility design and operations
Establish the design standards, calculation methods, design memos, and review gates that a growing engineering team will inherit
Hire and mentor a small process engineering team while staying hands-on yourself
Support projects through feasibility, permitting, FEED, procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup
03 WHAT YOU BRING WITH YOU
You're the engineer who has watched enough designs get built to know which assumptions break in the field. You'd rather be the one who owns the material balance than the one who reviews it, and you're at the point in your career where you want a facility with your judgment in it rather than a larger org chart. You likely have:
A four-year degree in chemical engineering
15+ years of process engineering experience (or 10–12 years with a Ph.D. or Masters, respectively), with a track record of designs that have been built and operated
Breadth across process design and operations, with real depth in at least one of: bioprocess and fermentation scale-up, chemical synthesis scale up, or chemical catalysis
Experience specifying reactors, vessels, tanks, heat exchangers, pumps, filtration, and separations
Strong command of process simulation — Aspen Plus, Aspen HYSYS, ChemCAD, UniSim, ProMax, HTRI, or equivalent
Working knowledge of process instrumentation, control valves, and control loops
Process Safety Management and hazardous materials handling experience
The judgment and presence to be the domain expert in a room of vendors, contractors, and regulators
Strong plus
Pilot plant commissioning and startup experience
Experience in ATF-, DoD-, or DDESB-regulated manufacturing environments
Professional Engineer (PE) license
Experience with AI-enabled engineering tools, process modeling, and digital twins
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
AFTER 3 MONTHS
You've connected with and are closely engaged with our research and development team, proactively translating data collected in the lab into pilot facility design
You're leading the basic engineering package and EPC engagement for one of our pilot facilities, and its scale-up risks are documented rather than discovered
AFTER 6–12 MONTHS
You're viewed as an engineering leader across our product verticals in critical minerals, energetics, and propellants, and leading design reviews, HAZOPs, and equipment selection
The pilot facility engineering design is issued for construction
Design standards, calculation methods, and review gates are in place and being followed
You've hired and are mentoring the first process engineers on your team
04 COMPENSATION
This is a hybrid role based in the Denver–Boulder Metro Area (Lafayette, CO), with three days per week onsite and travel up to 30% to pilot sites, laboratories, and vendor facilities. Relocation Assistance provided. 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.