Sr. Manager Propellant Engineering

ARC Automotive. Inc; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ARC Automotive, Inc. seeks a Sr Manager in Propellant Engineering responsible for leading the propellant team and overseeing projects from formulation to production. The role requires significant experience in propellant chemistry and technical leadership.

The ideal candidate will have at least ten years in the field, with strong analytical skills and familiarity with safety regulations. The environment combines office/shop settings, with expectations of occasional travel for work-related duties.

Qualifications

• Minimum of ten years' experience in propellant chemistry.
• At least three years' experience in a supervisory role.
• Familiar with DOD energetic material safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Manage ARC propellant team and projects.
• Provide technical presentations to company executives.
• Lead safety-first culture and incident prevention initiatives.

Skills

Propellant formulation development

Process development

Technical leadership

Statistical analysis

Education

B.S., M.S. or PhD in chemistry

Job description

Sr Manager - Propellant Engineering

POSITION SUMMARY

This is a technical leadership position responsible for managing the ARC propellant team. The team is responsible for propellant formulation development, process development, and propellant operations support including development of energetic material and chemical raw ingredients suppliers. The propellant team also provides general chemical expertise in support of production operations and general company issues.

1. Provide technical and managerial leadership in the planning, execution and delivery of propellant related projects. These projects include formulating propellants and gas generating materials (fuel, oxidizer, binder, etc.) based on the applications requirements (gas output, flame temperature, autoignition temperature, or other characteristics) and developing the associated processes- from lab scale through pilot scale to full scale production.
2. Work closely with other company technical staff to understand system level requirements and apply to energetic material performance.
3. Allocate department resources in support of on-going production programs as well as development projects.
4. Manage and mentor department personnel including recruiting, personnel development, training and performance reviews.
5. Manage propellant laboratory operations in the areas of materials and process development, energetic materials testing, and the development of analytical methods and procedures.
6. Provide technical presentations to the company executive staff as well as Tier One and OEM customers.
7. Lead benchmarking efforts on competitor’s products.
8. Provide department technical leadership and expertise on other matters such as:
   • developing appropriate acceptance procedures, specifications, and test methods with suppliers
   • developing procedures, specifications, methods and test plans (analytical, hazards, compatibility, etc.) in support of material validations and discrepancy analyses
   • supporting product investigations and the preparation of formal technical reports
   • evaluation of potential energetic material suppliers
   • evaluating and completing trade studies on materials processing equipment including supporting propellant operations capital projects
   • supporting lab and production scale process hazards analysis (PHA)
   • maintaining computer ballistic models for existing products as well as developing models for new products
   • Develop and maintain corporate chemical information for Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and other similar documents
9. Enhance the new product development pipeline
10. Lead safety-first culture
11. Incident prevention and risk mitigation ownership
12. Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Duties will be performed in a combination office/shop environment. Employee may be exposed to environmental/controlled air conditions, and mechanical, electrical, or chemical processes requiring the use of protective equipment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will occasionally be required to work weekends and holidays, be on call, and travel overnight on occasion. Some international travel may be required.

These are considered essential duties and are illustrative of those job tasks that are fundamental. Employees may be required to perform additional related duties as may be assigned by management. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS*: B.S., M.S. or PhD. in chemistry with a minimum of ten (10) years' experience in propellant chemistry with at least 3 years’ experience in a supervisory role. Experience in energetic materials product/process development from concept through production. Experience analyzing data based on statistical methods and a strong working knowledge of experimental analytical methods required. Familiar with DOD energetic material safety standards as well as ATF and USDOT regulations for energetic material storage and transportation.