Polymer and Synthetic Chemist, Mining & Metals

Ohr; Lafayette (CO); On-site; USD 125,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Ohr in Boulder/Lafayette, CO is seeking a Polymer and Synthetic Chemist who will own the phenolic condensation chemistry behind our mining and metals polymer products. You will run calorimetry and thermal characterization to set cure parameters and develop binder systems for energetic applications, including HTPB, cure kinetics, filler loading and rheology.

You will build the specification tests (GPC/SEC, DSC, TGA, rheology) and support particle morphology for solid supports, while collaborating

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in polymer-related field with 2+ years post-degree, or BS/MS with 6+ years in industrial polymer development.
• Experience in step-growth polymerization and molecular weight control, especially phenolic or epoxy resin systems.
• Hands-on synthetic organic chemistry with a focus on polymers.
• Self-sufficient in polymer characterization: GPC/SEC, thermal analysis, rheology.
• Proven ability to translate resin/binder from lab to reproducible specifications across campaigns.
• Experience in hazardous laboratory environments and exotherm control as a design parameter.

Responsibilities

• Own the phenolic condensation chemistry for mining/metals polymer products from soluble oligomers to crosslinked beads.
• Run calorimetry and thermal characterization to define cure operating envelopes.
• Develop binder systems for energetic applications: HTPB, cure kinetics, filler loading, rheology, pot life, and mechanical properties.
• Build and defend characterization methods (GPC/SEC, DSC, TGA, rheometry, swelling, extractables).
• Develop bead/resin morphology for solid supports: suspension polymerization, particle size, porosity, surface area.
• Screen derivatives on Ohr platform chemistries and support surge campaigns across verticals.

Skills

Polymer chemistry

GPC/SEC

Thermal analysis

Rheology

Exotherm control

Hazardous lab experience

Education

PhD in polymer chemistry

BS/MS with 6+ years polymer development

Tools

DSC

TGA

Calorimetry equipment

Job description

01 THE ROLE

Chemistry is the invisible layer of all critical industries, and the old supply chain is being weaponized. We don’t refine petroleum. We create the molecules that matter most — from the atom up.

As a Polymer and Synthetic Chemist, you sit across our verticals rather than inside one. Several of our mining and metals products are phenolic condensation polymers, and the product specification is a molecular weight distribution rather than a structure. Our energetics program needs binder and formulation work for polymer bonded explosives and solid rocket motor applications. Those are the same cure chemistry and the same characterization stack, and we would rather hire for the overlap than split it across two half-roles.

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 the phenolic condensation chemistry behind our mining and metals polymer products, from soluble oligomers to crosslinked beads, to a narrow and reproducible molecular weight distribution




• Run the calorimetry and thermal characterization program on a cure that is easy to start and hard to stop, and set operating conditions from that data rather than from the first batch that happened to work




• Develop binder systems for polymer bonded explosives and solid rocket motor applications: HTPB and energetic binder chemistry, cure kinetics, filler loading and rheology, pot life, and mechanical properties of the cured composite




• Build the characterization methods the specification rests on, including GPC/SEC, DSC, TGA, rheometry, swelling and extractables, and defend them when a customer asks how the number was produced




• Develop bead and resin morphology where the product is a solid support: suspension polymerization, particle size distribution, porosity and surface area control




• Screen candidate derivatives on Ohr’s platform chemistries alongside the metals bench, and take surge campaigns across verticals when a program needs a second pair of hands at the bench

03 WHAT YOU BRING WITH YOU

You are a synthetic chemist who went into polymers rather than a formulator who picked up some chemistry. You are at ease owning a product whose specification is a distribution, and you know how much of that distribution is set by the first twenty minutes of the cure. You likely have:

• A PhD in polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, materials science or chemical engineering with 2 or more years beyond it, or a BS/MS with 6 or more years of industrial polymer development




• Step-growth polymerization and molecular weight control, with phenolic or epoxy resin systems particularly welcome




• Hands-on synthetic organic chemistry, not formulation alone




• Polymer characterization you run yourself: GPC/SEC, thermal analysis, rheology




• Experience taking a resin or binder from a laboratory batch to a reproducible specification across multiple campaigns




• Comfort working in a hazardous laboratory environment and treating exotherm control as a design decision

STRONG PLUS

• HTPB, polyurethane or energetic binder systems, and solid rocket motor propellant or PBX formulation




• Crosslinked bead and resin synthesis, suspension or emulsion polymerization, porosity control




• Reaction calorimetry on exothermic cures and runaway characterization




• Ion exchange or chelating resin manufacture and functionalization




• Working inside an ITAR environment, or holding a security clearance




• Statistical design of experiments applied to a formulation space

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

AFTER 3 MONTHS

• Calorimetry and thermal characterization of the phenolic cure are complete, with a documented safe operating envelope that every product line sharing the reaction and the reactor can work inside

AFTER 6-12 MONTHS

• The condensate is delivered at each target specification with a reproducible molecular weight distribution across three consecutive batches



• The binder formulation path is defined for the energetics program, with the characterization methods that will qualify it

04 EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE

This role involves access to data and systems subject to U.S. export control regulations, including ITAR. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, or a protected individual as defined under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

This role also involves access to explosive materials. Candidates must be eligible to serve as an “employee possessor” of explosive materials under federal law, meaning they are not a prohibited person as defined under 18 U.S.C. § 842(i).

05 COMPENSATION

This role is onsite at Ohr’s laboratory in the Boulder / Lafayette, Colorado area, five days per week. Relocation Assistance provided. The annual base salary range for this position is $125,000 – $180,000, commensurate with experience, plus equity. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, experience, and qualifications.

Be a creationary.