Manager, Chemical and Propellant

Job Description

Position Summary
The Manager, Chemical & Propellant Operations (Powder Processing) is a key technical leadership role within Pac Sci EMC. This position provides leadership to process engineers and chemical operations technicians responsible for the safe processing, manufacture, qualification, and delivery of energetic materials supporting both production and new product development. The role serves as the Chandler site leader for chemical operations, regulatory compliance, process safety management, and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will drive operational excellence, develop future technical leaders, strengthen organizational capability, and identify opportunities for automation, digital manufacturing, and data-driven process optimization while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and reliability.
* This role is subject to ITAR regulations.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for powder processing operations and Process Safety Management (PSM) systems.

• Champion a proactive safety culture through hazard identification, risk mitigation, incident investigation, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.

• Serve as the primary Chandler site representative for chemical operations during customer engagements, audits, certifications, regulatory inspections, and governmental inquiries.

• Maintain BATF explosive inventory records and magazine storage operations in accordance with applicable DOD, DOT, BATF, OSHA, and environmental requirements.

• Ensure energetic material delivery systems support production requirements while maintaining regulatory compliance.

• Lead chemical processing operations including blending, drying, milling, qualification activities, and related manufacturing processes supporting pyrotechnic, propellant, and explosive products.

• Develop, coach, mentor, and build organizational capability within process engineering and technician teams while strengthening succession depth.

• Own departmental procedures, process controls, documentation, and operational standards.

• Maintain on-time delivery of energetic materials supporting manufacturing operations and customer commitments.

• Lead statistical process improvement initiatives utilizing Design of Experiments (DOE), process capability analysis, statistical methods, and continuous improvement tools.

• Drive cross-functional failure investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective action implementation.

• Develop databases, process analytics, and quantitative performance measures to improve process understanding and manufacturing robustness.

• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, digital manufacturing tools, AI-enabled analytics, and emerging technologies that improve safety, quality, and operational performance.

• Partner with Production, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, EHS, and external suppliers to resolve issues and improve business performance.

• Support proposal development, capital planning, equipment upgrades, process improvements, and long-term operational strategy.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong chemical process engineering knowledge involving wet and dry processing operations.

• Demonstrated understanding of process safety management principles and safe operation of hazardous chemical processes.

• Advanced statistical analysis capability including DOE, process optimization, data analysis, and problem-solving methodologies.

• Strong understanding of oxidation-reduction reactions, energetic materials processing, and chemical manufacturing operations.

• Working knowledge of organic and inorganic synthesis principles.

• Excellent leadership, coaching, mentoring, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, executive leadership, customers, auditors, suppliers, and government representatives.

• Strong analytical and decision-making skills in fast-paced, high-accountability environments.

• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and organizational development.

Education and Experience

• BS in Chemical Engineering strongly…