Engineering Manager, Chemicals

Voyager Technologies; Penrose (CO); On-site; USD 200,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Voyager Technologies in Penrose, Colorado, seeks an Engineering Manager, Chemicals, to lead a team of chemical engineers across process design, pilot demonstration, and production scale-up for defense-critical manufacturing capabilities.

The role reports to the Director of Engineering within the Voyager Energetics Engineering department and is based onsite in Penrose, CO, with a planned transition to Pueblo, CO.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field with 5+ years of hands-on chemical engineering experience OR Master's degree with 3+ years of experience OR 9+ years of chemical engineering experience in lieu of a degree.
• 15+ years of hands-on chemical synthesis and pilot plant chemical creation, including strong working knowledge of unit operations in chemical and energetic materials manufacturing.
• 5+ years leading projects of significant technical scope and complexity in a regulated or defense environment, with demonstrated success managing technical execution of complex engineering projects.
• 5+ years leading and supervising high-performing chemical engineering teams of 5+ engineers, with cross-functional communication across engineering, operations, program management, and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of chemical engineers across process design, equipment fabrication, pilot demonstration, production scale-up, and automation for chemical and energetic materials.
• Drive engineering strategy, planning, and resource allocation with leadership to meet performance, cost, schedule, and quality objectives for chemical R&D and manufacturing operations.
• Oversee development, review, and approval of engineering deliverables and ensure compliance with internal and government standards.
• Represent the engineering organization in technical and program reviews, and foster a culture of safety and accountability through coaching and growth opportunities.

Skills

Team leadership

Project management

Strategic planning

Communication

Chemical engineering expertise

Education

Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering

Master's in Chemical Engineering

Experience equivalent to degree

Tools

Aspen

ChemCAD

MATLAB

SolidWorks

PLC systems

Job description

Voyager is an innovative space, defense, and national security technology company committed to advancing and delivering transformative, mission-critical solutions. We tackle the most complex challenges to unlock new frontiers for human progress, fortify national security, and protect critical assets to lead in the race for technological and operational superiority from ground to space.

Forge the Future: Join Voyager Technologies

The future belongs to those who build it. At Voyager Technologies, we’re building technologies that protect lives, expand frontiers and prepare us for what’s next. And we’re doing that with people who are wired to solve, build, adapt and lead. These roles are not for the faint of heart.

You’ll help lay the foundation for humanity's future. Join a culture where innovation thrives, curiosity is rewarded, and impact is real. We’re a company of doers, thinkers and builders, united by purpose and grounded in reality.

If you want to put your skills to work where the stakes are real and the mission is bigger than any one person, forge the future with Voyager.

The Engineering Manager, Chemicals is responsible for leading a team of chemical engineers across chemical production and energetic materials manufacturing — from process design through production scale-up — to deliver defense‑critical manufacturing capabilities.

The position reports to the Director of Engineering and is part of the Voyager Energetics Engineering department based in Penrose, CO. This role is onsite in Penrose, CO, with work to transition to the Pueblo, CO location.

In This Role, The Essential Functions Are

• Lead and mentor a team of chemical engineers across process design, equipment fabrication, pilot demonstration, production scale-up, and automation — including chemical and energetic materials — supporting personnel through the acquisition lifecycle from development through PDR/CDR and into Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP).
• Drive engineering strategy, planning, and resource allocation in partnership with engineering and program management leadership to meet performance, cost, schedule, and quality objectives for chemical R&D and manufacturing operations.
• Oversee the development, review, and approval of engineering deliverables — including requirements, models, procedures, design documentation, and risk assessments — while implementing engineering processes, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives that ensure technical excellence and compliance with internal and government standards.
• Represent the engineering organization internally and externally in technical and program status reviews, and develop talent through coaching, performance feedback, and growth opportunities that foster a culture of safety, accountability, and technical excellence.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or a related field with 5+ years of hands-on chemical engineering experience OR Master's degree in Chemical Engineering or a related field with 3+ years of experience OR 9+ years of chemical engineering experience in lieu of a degree.
• 15+ years of hands-on chemical synthesis and pilot plant chemical creation, including strong working knowledge of common unit operations in chemical and energetic materials manufacturing such as process design, pilot demonstration, and production scale-up.
• 5+ years leading projects of significant technical scope and complexity in a regulated or defense environment, with demonstrated success managing technical execution of complex engineering projects.
• 5+ years leading and supervising high-performing chemical engineering teams of 5+ engineers, with the ability to communicate effectively across engineering, operations, program management, and senior leadership audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience standing up new manufacturing capabilities in a chemical manufacturing environment, with expertise across unit operations such as electrochemistry, evaporation, crystallization, dewatering, drying, grinding, mixing, and packaging of energetic materials.
• Experience with industrial automation (instrumentation, PLCs, communications), process modeling tools (Aspen, ChemCAD, MATLAB), and CAD software (SolidWorks), combined with demonstrated success building management processes that scale with organizational growth.

Travel, Physical, and Government‑Mandated Requirements

• Travel up to 20%, including overnights, particularly to the Minden, Louisiana area.
• Ability to lift, move, or carry items or equipment up to 50 pounds.
• Comfortable sitting, standing, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling in office and manufacturing environments.
• Exposure to industrial machines, heat, cold, energetic chemicals, and explosives; use of personal protective equipment appropriate to the work location.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance at the appropriate level (requires U.S. Citizenship), if needed.
• Candidates must meet all eligibility requirements to obtain and maintain applicable state and federal explosives licenses, including minimum age requirements (21 and over), a drug‑free workplace in compliance with the Drug‑Free Workplace Act of 1988 (41 U.S.C. 8101–8106), Executive Order 12564 (Drug‑Free Federal Workplace), applicable Department of Defense directives including DoD Instruction 1010.09 and DFARS 252.226‑7003 and successful completion of any legally required background investigations.
• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

The good faith base salary range for this role is $200,000 –$230,000 at the time of this posting. Where you fall within the range depends on your experience, skills, and location. This range reflects base salary only and does not include benefits or bonus/incentive. This range may be adjusted in the future.

Voyager offers a highly competitive total compensation package designed