What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Technical Advisor – Molecular Machines position at MACH-20?
Job Title: Lead Technical Advisor – Molecular Machines
Company: MACH-20, LLC
Location: National Capital Region, On-site (non-local candidates will not be considered)
Experience: Advanced degree (Ph.D. strongly preferred) in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field
Clearance Required: U.S. citizenship with an active Secret clearance (Top Secret preferred). Exceptional candidates who don’t currently possess a clearance but are eligible will be considered.
Position Overview
We are seeking a Lead Technical Advisor to support the ideation, development, and execution of a new technology development program focused on atomically precise manufacturing enabled by molecular machines. The advisor will provide deep technical leadership in polymer chemistry design and manufacturing, guiding high-risk research aimed at fundamentally new fabrication paradigms.
This role sits at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and manufacturing, requiring the ability to translate molecular-scale control into scalable, manufacturable systems.
Requirements
The successful candidate should have knowledge and expertise in areas including:
- Polymer chemistry design, synthesis, and advanced manufacturing techniques
- Molecular machines, self-assembly, and bottom-up fabrication approaches
- Atomically or molecularly precise manufacturing concepts
- Structure–property relationships in functional polymers and materials
- Pathways for scaling laboratory demonstrations toward practical manufacturing
- Evaluation of research proposals, performer progress, and technical risk
- Technical documentation, reporting, and briefing for government decision-makers
- U.S. citizenship and required clearance
Desired Capabilities and Characteristics
- Deep technical expertise paired with systems-level perspective
- Comfortable operating at the frontier of emerging scientific disciplines
- Strong communicator across chemistry, materials, and engineering communities
- Persistent, detail-oriented, and resilient in the face of technical uncertainty
- Highly self-directed and capable of shaping evolving program goals
- Advanced degree (Ph.D. strongly preferred) in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field
Responsibilities
- Support government program manager in shaping and executing a new research program
- Provide technical leadership on polymer chemistry and molecular machine-based manufacturing
- Evaluate performer approaches, identify technical gaps, and recommend course corrections
- Support development of milestones, metrics, and transition strategies
- Produce high-quality technical documentation and program briefings
- Help ensure objective, technically rigorous decision-making throughout program execution