Lead R&D Chemist – Energetic Materials & Explosives

Rhodes Wolfe; Kansas; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sponsorship available

Job summary

UTEC, located in Galena, KS, seeks a Lead R&D Chemist to steer development of energetic materials and explosives, lead a 3–5 person team, and engage with customers across industries. You will translate complex concepts for diverse stakeholders and identify new application opportunities to drive innovation.

The role emphasizes hands-on formulation, process development, and cross-functional collaboration with operations, safety, and customers.

Qualifications

• Must have R&D and product development background.
• Experience with energetic materials or commercial explosives.
• Formulation development, testing, and scale-up experience.
• Process safety experience is required.
• Ability to obtain ATF Employee Possessor status.

Responsibilities

• Lead research, development, and improvement of formulations involving energetic materials, explosives, and hazardous systems.
• Oversee a small team of scientists, technicians, and laboratory personnel.
• Drive formulation development, testing, scale-up, and process optimization.
• Ensure OSHA, ATF, environmental, and laboratory safety compliance.
• Collaborate with operations and technical personnel on customer projects.
• Serve as a technical resource for customers and stakeholders.

Skills

R&D experience

Product development

Formulation development

Scale-up processes

Customer engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or physics

Job description

Location: Galena, KS (Ideal for Those Who Love the Outdoors; Relocation Assistance is Available)

Salary: Base + Profit Sharing + Benefits

Job Type: Full-Time

Typical Hours: 9/80 Schedule, Every Other Friday Off

Travel: Occasional Domestic Travel + Rare International Travel

Sponsorship is available

Our client, UTEC, a leader in the commercial energetic materials and explosives industry, is looking for a Lead R&D Chemist to drive development efforts and support the company’s continued growth. This role combines hands-on scientific expertise with technical leadership, team development, customer engagement, and strategic support across the business. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in energetic materials, commercial explosives, or similarly reactive systems, along with the ability to guide a small technical team (3-5), translate complex concepts for customers and stakeholders, and identify new application opportunities that advance innovation. This is a highly cross-functional role with exposure across multiple industries and applications, partnering with leading organizations in explosives, mining, defense, and energetic materials. It’s a rare chance to shape technical direction, influence product development, and make a meaningful impact in a highly specialized industry.

Important Note: We are working directly with UTEC Corporation.

• Lead research, development, and improvement of commercial formulations and related products involving energetic materials, explosives, and hazardous chemical systems
• Oversee a small team of scientists, technicians, and laboratory personnel
• Drive formulation development, testing, scale-up activities, and process optimization efforts
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, ATF, environmental, and laboratory safety regulations
• Collaborate with operations and technical personnel to execute customer projects
• Serve as a technical resource for customers; communicating findings, troubleshooting challenges, and identifying potential solutions
• Contribute to project planning, resource allocation, and laboratory priorities
• Drive innovation, and commercialization of new applications through customer engagement and technical partnerships

Lead R&D Chemist Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or physics required
• Experience with energetic materials or commercial explosives required
• Strong background with R&D and product development required
• Experience with formulation development, testing, scale-up, and process safety required
• Ability to obtain ATF Employee Possessor status required