Advanced Armor Research Group, LLC Process Chemical Engineer Indian Head, MD · Full time Company website

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Advanced Armor Research Group (AARG) is a privately-held American company that provides technical support for US military vehicles and platforms for Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen. Our team provides the technical knowledge for materials, manufacturing and assembly processes required for customer projects. We also provide on-site program management and Software Configuration Management (SCM) support, as well as procuring materials to meet project needs.

AARG is seeking a Process Chemical Engineer in the Indian Head, MD area.

The Engineer will support the design, development, manufacture, test and evaluation of various prototype components and systems.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The applicant shall work on site with the Engineering team. Other duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Support the 1,2,4-Butanetriol Trinitrate (BTTN) and N-n-butyl-N-(2-nitroxy-ethyl)nitramine (BuNENA) continuous-flow scale-up work.
• Support detailed P&IDs and engineering drawings, skid design, equipment installation.
• Develop related design packages (including PHAs, interlock narratives, BOMs, and controls integration with Allen-Bradley systems).
• Continuous monitoring of the sources of supply chain including vendor materials and unique manufacturing processes to align with project budgets and schedules.
• Manage major equipment purchasing and negotiations with contracted vendors for material expediting to maintain delivery schedules at facilities and locations nationally.
• Interface with vendors and sponsors to test systems and components in accordance with industry and government requirements and standards for product qualification.
• Engage with senior personnel and management on significant technical matters that require coordination between organizations to manage program financial execution and planning.
• Brief project progress and technical analysis to upper management and sponsors.

Skills:

• Experience with continuous-flow scale-up experience with energetic materials or nitrate esters preferred, strong P&ID/CAD capability, Class I Div 1 / MIL-STD-882E safety documentation experience, and familiarity with Corning AFR-type systems, TCUs, and PAT integration.
• Excellent critical thinker with ability to validate requirements and solve problems given limited information.
• Capable of assisting in or providing solutions and technical recommendations to complex design problems.
• Ability to form relationships with various organizations.
• Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to execute multiple projects and prioritize tasking as needed to meet the requirements and milestones.
• Ability to work independently with minimal oversight while maintaining project focus.
• Ability to draft technical reports and present to various organizational levels.
• Proficiency in Office products (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project).

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (B.S.) in Engineering, preferably Process or Chemical Engineering or similar.
• 3-5 year Minimum, 6-12+ years of experience preferred Manufacturing, Product Development, R&D.
• Excellent work ethic, and ability to work 8-hour shifts from Monday to Friday.
• Must be a US citizen
• Current or ability to obtain a security clearance.
• Ability to pass drug test and background check.

Preferred / Differentiating Qualifications:

• Direct DoD/Navy/NSWC, ManTech, JEMTP, EMTC, or NEST/OTA experience; knowledge of MRL progression (6→8/9), TRL 6 targets, and distributed/on-demand manufacturing for surge readiness.
• Experience integrating AI/ML process optimization tools and digital twins with continuous-flow prototypes, including data packages for steady-state, conversion, purity, temperature/pressure profiles.
• Prior work on skid transition/replication between, preventative maintenance plans, and acceptance testing.
• Hands-on commissioning, operator training, and troubleshooting in energetics or highly hazardous chemical facilities.
• Knowledge of data rights (Government Purpose Rights, Limited Rights, SBIR) and background IP integration for deliverables.
• Strong collaboration skills with chemists (lab-scale experiment definition, Ac₂O pre-mix, residence-time studies), facility engineers (piping/electrical), safety (SRC for LRF complexity), and contractors.
• Continuous-flow process design and scale-up from lab/bench (e.g., Corning Low-Flow AFR or equivalent microreactors) to pilot/G1/G3 and LRIP scales, including residence-time optimization, mixing strategy (plates vs. PFR/tube-in-tube), heat management for nitration/exothermic reactions, and turn-up/turn-down capability.
• Specific experience with energetic materials, nitrate esters, nitration chemistry, mixed-acid systems (e.g., 85% HNO₃ preparation/in-line generation), quench/neutralization, liquid-liquid extraction, solvent swap, or direct-to-lacquer processes is highly desirable. Familiarity with BuNENA, BTTN, NENA, or analogous compounds is a significant plus.
• Development of complete design packages: process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), equipment lists (tag numbers, materials of construction, design bases for volume/pressure/temperature, MAWP/MAWT, vendor data), instrumentation lists, bills of materials (BOMs), and specification sheets.
• Process safety: Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), HAZOP, interlock narratives, human-machine interface (HMI) design, Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), operating/maintenance manuals, calibration/preventive maintenance plans. Direct experience applying MIL-STD-882E, NFPA 70 (National Electric Code), Class I Division 1 / explosion-proof / intrinsically safe design, purge enclosures, and facility-specific requirements (e.g., NSWC IHD safety manuals).
• Design of automated control systems capable of communicating with Allen-Bradley PLCs via EtherNet/IP (read/write access for government), sensors for temperature/pressure/redox, and inline process analytical technology (PAT: IR, Raman, UHPLC/HPLC with automated quench/sampling). Experience with virtual PLC options (e.g., TwinCAT) and LabVIEW is useful.
• Design of portable, bottom-heavy, rigidly mounted continuous-flow skids (pumps, temperature-controlled reactors, TCUs, back-pressure regulators, sensors, valves, inline PAT) suitable for hazardous locations and transit.
• Oversight or hands-on support for fabrication, electrical construction (explosion-proof components where available), packing/shipping, on-site installation, re-piping (stainless hard lines transitioning to flexible inside hoods), TCU integration, and commissioning in inert-bay / walk-in hood environments.
• Familiarity with equipment such as Corning Advanced Flow Reactors (G1 and larger), high-precision metering pumps (e.g., Fuji Techno), TCUs (Budzar or equivalent), and post-processing modules (quench, decanter, extraction).

Software and tools:

• Proficiency with professional CAD/P&ID software (AutoCAD Plant 3D, SmartPlant P&ID, or equivalent; Visio alone is insufficient for formal packages).
• Process simulation/modeling experience (Aspen, COMSOL, or flow-chemistry-specific tools) for mass/energy balances, pressure drop, kinetics, and digital-twin support.
• Ability to produce or formalize sketches into production-ready drawings for M3/facility trades and safety reviews.

Work Location: On-site at Indian Head, MD