Lab Manager, Materials & Process Engineering (Molten-Salt Research)

Location: Full-time onsite role based at the headquarters in Denver, Colorado, United States.

Salary: $140,000–$165,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global develops inertial fusion energy technology and laser architecture to enable fusion power plants and support global decarbonization.

What you will do

• Plan, build, commission, and operate analytical, wet chemistry, metallography, and molten-salt research laboratories.
• Coordinate facility design, utilities, HVAC, exhaust, safety interlocks, specialized experimental platforms, installation, acceptance testing, and vendor qualification.
• Establish SOPs, equipment logs, chemical inventories, waste-handling protocols, cleanliness standards, maintenance schedules, sample workflows, and laboratory access processes.
• Manage laboratory readiness, uptime, calibration, maintenance, scheduling, resource allocation, and operational priorities across multiple research programs.
• Implement safety controls for chemical processes, hazardous materials, high-temperature systems, molten salts, and vacuum operations; train lab users and support inspections and permitting.
• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, technicians, EHS, Facilities, Fusion Nuclear Science personnel, program teams, vendors, and external partners while supporting budgets and procurement.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience managing or operating technical laboratories in materials, chemical, analytical, or high-temperature environments.
• Experience planning, building, or expanding laboratory infrastructure, including utilities, safety systems, and equipment integration.
• Strong knowledge of laboratory safety, chemical hygiene, hazardous-material storage, and regulatory compliance.
• Hands-on experience with analytical or chemical instrumentation such as SEM/EDX, XRD, GC–MS, optical microscopy, metallographic preparation, or vacuum equipment.
• Experience developing SOPs, safety documentation, and operational workflows.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and project-management skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally and lead users with varying technical backgrounds.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, current U.S. permanent resident/Green Card holder, or lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a refugee or through granted asylum.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting shared research facilities serving multiple technical organizations.
• Experience with molten salts, corrosion testing, high-temperature process systems, nuclear materials research, or related experimental platforms.
• Experience with materials analysis, including SEM/EDS, interferometry, XRD, spectroscopy, or metallography.
• Familiarity with facilities-level HVAC, exhaust, electrical, gas-system, and vibration-isolation requirements.
• Experience in a rapidly growing startup or hardware-focused R&D environment.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a multidisciplinary inertial-fusion-energy and tough-tech R&D environment focused on rapid execution and decarbonization.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, short- and long-term disability, and paid parental leave benefits.
• 401(k) with a company match of up to 6% and eligible employee equity.
• Flexible paid time off, paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown.
• Benefits eligibility varies by benefit and is available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles and interns.