Sr Chemical Engineer Indian Head, MD

Advanced Armor Research Group (AARG)

Process Chemical Engineer

AARG is seeking a Process Chemical Engineer in the Indian Head, MD area.

The Engineer will support the design, development, manufacture, test and evaluation of various prototype components and systems.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The applicant shall work on site with the Engineering team. Other duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Support the 1,2,4-Butanetriol Trinitrate (BTTN) and N-n-butyl-N-(2-nitroxy-ethyl)nitramine (BuNENA) continuous-flow scale-up work.

·      Support detailed P&IDs and engineering drawings, skid design, equipment installation.

·      Develop related design packages (including PHAs, interlock narratives, BOMs, and controls integration with Allen-Bradley systems).

• Continuous monitoring of the sources of supply chain including vendor materials and unique manufacturing processes to align with project budgets and schedules.
• Manage major equipment purchasing and negotiations with contracted vendors for material expediting to maintain delivery schedules at facilities and locations nationally.
• Interface with vendors and sponsors to test systems and components in accordance with industry and government requirements and standards for product qualification.
• Engage with senior personnel and management on significant technical matters that require coordination between organizations to manage program financial execution and planning.

·      Brief project progress and technical analysis to upper management and sponsors.

Skills:

• Experience with continuous-flow scale-up experience with energetic materials or nitrate esters preferred, strong P&ID/CAD capability, Class I Div 1 / MIL-STD-882E safety documentation experience, and familiarity with Corning AFR-type systems, TCUs, and PAT integration.

·      Excellent critical thinker with ability to validate requirements and solve problems given limited information.

·      Capable of assisting in or providing solutions and technical recommendations to complex design problems.

·      Ability to form relationships with various organizations.

·      Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills.

·      Ability to execute multiple projects and prioritize tasking as needed to meet the requirements and milestones.

·      Ability to work independently with minimal oversight while maintaining project focus.

• Ability to draft technical reports and present to various organizational levels.

·      Proficiency in Office products (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project).

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (B.S.) in Engineering, preferably Process or Chemical Engineering or similar.
• 3-5 year Minimum, 6-12+ years of experience preferred Manufacturing, Product Development, R&D.
• Excellent work ethic, and ability to work 8-hour shifts from Monday to Friday.
• Must be a US citizen
• Current or ability to obtain a security clearance.
• Ability to pass drug test and background check.

Preferred / Differentiating Qualifications:

• Direct DoD/Navy/NSWC, ManTech, JEMTP, EMTC, or NEST/OTA experience; knowledge of MRL progression (6→8/9), TRL 6 targets, and distributed/on-demand manufacturing for surge readiness.
• Experience integrating AI/ML process optimization tools and digital twins with continuous-flow prototypes, including data packages for steady-state, conversion, purity, temperature/pressure profiles.
• Prior work on skid transition/replication between, preventative maintenance plans, and acceptance testing.
• Hands-on commissioning, operator training, and troubleshooting in energetics or highly hazardous chemical facilities.
• Knowledge of data rights (Government Purpose Rights, Limited Rights, SBIR) and background IP integration for deliverables.
• Strong collaboration skills with chemists (lab-scale experiment definition, Ac₂O pre-mix, residence-time studies), facility engineers (piping/electrical), safety (SRC for LRF complexity), and contractors.
• Continuous-flow process design and scale-up from lab/bench (e.g., Corning Low-Flow AFR or equivalent microreactors) to pilot/G1/G3 and LRIP scales, including residence-time optimization, mixing strategy (plates vs. PFR/tube-in-tube), heat management for nitration/exothermic reactions, and turn-up/turn-down capability.
• Specific experience with energetic materials, nitrate esters, nitration chemistry, mixed-acid systems (e.g., 85% HNO₃ preparation/in-line generation), quench/neutralization, liquid-liquid extraction, solvent swap, or direct-to-lacquer processes is highly desirable. Familiarity with BuNENA, BTTN, NENA, or analogous compounds is a significant plus.
• Development of complete design packages: process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), equipment lists (tag numbers, materials of construction, design bases for volume/pressure/temperature, MAWP/MAWT, vendor data), instrumentation lists, bills of materials (BOMs), and specification sheets.
• Process safety: Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), HAZOP, interlock narratives, human-machine interface (HMI) design, Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), operating/maintenance manuals, calibration/preventive maintenance plans. Direct experience applying MIL-STD-882E, NFPA 70 (National Electric Code), Class I Division 1 / explosion-proof / intrinsically safe design, purge enclosures, and facility-specific requirements (e.g., NSWC IHD safety manuals).
• Design of automated control systems capable of communicating with Allen-Bradley PLCs via EtherNet/IP (read/write access for government), sensors for temperature/pressure/redox, and inline process analytical technology (PAT: IR, Raman, UHPLC/HPLC with automated quench/sampling). Experience with virtual PLC options (e.g., TwinCAT) and LabVIEW is useful.
• Design of portable, bottom-heavy, rigidly mounted continuous-flow skids (pumps, temperature-controlled reactors, TCUs, back-pressure regulators, sensors, valves, inline PAT) suitable for hazardous locations and transit.
• Oversight or hands-on support for fabrication, electrical construction (explosion-proof components where available), packing/shipping, on-site installation, re-piping (stainless hard lines transitioning to flexible inside hoods), TCU integration, and commissioning in inert-bay / walk-in hood environments.
• Familiarity with equipment such as Corning Advanced Flow Reactors (G1 and larger), high-precision metering pumps (e.g., Fuji Techno), TCUs (Budzar or equivalent), and post-processing modules (quench, decanter, extraction).

Software and tools:

·      Proficiency with professional CAD/P&ID software (AutoCAD Plant 3D, SmartPlant P&ID, or equivalent; Visio alone is insufficient for formal packages). Process simulation/modeling experience (Aspen, COMSOL, or flow-chemistry-specific tools) for mass/energy balances, pressure drop, kinetics, and digital-twin support. Ability to produce or formalize sketches into production-ready drawings for M3/facility trades and safety reviews.

Work Location: On-site at Indian Head, MD