Senior Process Development Engineer (Energetics)

Sr. Process Engineer – Energetics

Work Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Sector: Defense, Aerospace, Rare Earths, Minerals, Mining, Critical Minerals

Location: Chicago, IL, San Diego, CA, Denver, CO or Remote within the US

NES Fircroft is a leading global technical recruitment firm supporting the world’s most innovative energy, engineering, and advanced manufacturing companies. Our client, a clean energy startup, is seeking a Senior Process Engineer – Energetics to support the design, scale-up, and optimization of manufacturing processes for energetic materials to be based in Chicago, IL or remote within the United States.

Job Summary

The Senior Process Engineer – Energetics will lead the design, optimization, and safe implementation of manufacturing processes for energetic materials, including explosives and propellants.

This role focuses on process safety, scale-up, manufacturing execution, and regulatory compliance while supporting the transition of energetic formulations from R&D through pilot and into production. The engineer will collaborate closely with R&D, manufacturing, safety, and operations teams to ensure robust, compliant, and scalable processing systems for energetic materials.

Ideal Candidate Profile

This role is suited for engineers who want real ownership of process design and manufacturing execution. Successful candidates are comfortable making technical decisions in environments where processes are still evolving and where engineering judgment directly influences operational success. The role offers the opportunity to help build manufacturing systems that move breakthrough chemistry from concept to large-scale production.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize manufacturing processes for energetic materials and related chemical systems.
• Lead process scale-up activities from laboratory and pilot systems to full-scale manufacturing.
• Analyze production data to improve yield, throughput, safety performance, and cost efficiency.
• Implement process improvements, automation strategies, and process control systems.
• Conduct process hazard analyses including PHA, HAZOP, FMEA, and explosive safety assessments.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory standards including ATF, OSHA, Department of Defense (DoD), and environmental regulations.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, including SOPs, engineering specifications, and work instructions.
• Collaborate with R&D teams to transition new energetic formulations into production environments.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and implement corrective and preventative process solutions.
• Support equipment design, specification, installation, and commissioning for energetic processing systems.
• Participate in incident investigations and contribute to root cause analysis and safety improvements.
• Provide technical support to operations, maintenance, and safety teams across production environments.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in chemical processing, energetic materials, explosives, propellants, molding, or other hazardous materials manufacturing environments.
• Strong knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM) and hazardous materials handling practices.
• Experience with process modeling, statistical process control, and manufacturing data analysis.
• Understanding of energetic material properties including sensitivity, thermal stability, and material compatibility.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving capabilities.

Preferred Experience

• Direct experience in explosives, propellants, molding, or energetic materials manufacturing.
• Familiarity with DoD explosive safety standards (e.g., DoD 4145.26, MIL specifications).
• Experience with process simulation and modeling tools such as AVEVA, ChemCAD, or similar platforms.

Key Competencies

• Process safety and risk management
• Continuous improvement and process optimization
• Cross-functional technical collaboration
• Engineering documentation and regulatory compliance
• Ability to operate effectively within high-hazard industrial environments
• Travel up to 30% travel to production sites, laboratories, and testing facilities may be required.

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to join a fast-growing startup at the forefront of next-generation chemical manufacturing technologies.
• Direct involvement in scaling breakthrough chemistry into industrial production systems.
• High ownership engineering environment where technical decisions have real operational impact.
• Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams spanning advanced chemistry, process engineering, and manufacturing innovation.
• Contribute to technologies that strengthen industrial resilience, strategic materials supply chains, and global energy security.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a pioneering start-up with an innovative clean energy startup that will create a sustainable pathway for critical minerals and alternative fuels. The successful applicant will receive a competitive compensation package, potential equity, comprehensive medical benefits, PTO, holidays, and more. Candidates must have authorization to work in the U.S. without a visa or ongoing work permit.