Chemistry Lead

About the role

General Matter is enriching uranium in America. Our goal is to design, build, and operate the world's lowest-cost enrichment services in the United States. Our mission is to restore America's ability to produce nuclear fuel-fuel that will power AI, advanced manufacturing, critical industries, and the next generation of nuclear reactors. Ultimately, our work will help power national ambitions and enable a high-energy society. We were incubated by Founders Fund, like Anduril and Palantir before us, and are backed by top-tier investors. Our lean, world-class team of engineers and operators is applying a first-principles approach to solving the problem of nuclear fuel production. We are a mission-driven company with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency. Help us build a high-energy society by making the cleanest, safest form of baseload energy the most affordable. About This Role As Chemistry Lead at General Matter, you'll build and lead the analytical chemistry capabilities that enable our advanced uranium enrichment operations from the ground up. You'll establish laboratory methods, quality systems, and team processes that directly support production operations, NRC compliance, and nuclear material accountability. This is a rare opportunity to shape chemistry operations at a next-generation nuclear facility during rapid commercial scale-up, where your technical decisions immediately impact our ability to strengthen domestic nuclear fuel supply.

Responsibilities

• Oversee materials testing activities to support project and operational needs
• Develop, validate, and implement analytical methods for material characterization and quality control; establish SOPs for testing protocols, sample handling, data documentation, and reporting standards.
• Ensure laboratory compliance with quality assurance requirements, safety protocols, and regulatory expectations; implement quality control procedures including method validation, measurement uncertainty analysis, and audit readiness.
• Manage laboratory operations including equipment maintenance, calibration, inventory management, sample queue prioritization, and vendor coordination.
• Provide technical expertise to engineering, operations, and program management; interpret analytical data, conduct failure analysis, troubleshoot process chemistry issues, and deliver timely results.
• Partner with licensing and regulatory affairs teams to support NRC Part 70 compliance; provide analytical data, method descriptions, and technical interface for regulatory submissions and inspections.
• Support nuclear material control and accountability (MC&A) interfaces, including analytical methods for material accountancy, measurement control programs, and investigation of analytical anomalies.
• Develop capability roadmaps for analytical chemistry; assess equipment and personnel needs, manage external laboratory relationships, and scale operations to support company growth.
• Establish performance metrics, manage documentation systems, prepare technical reports for stakeholders, and support management reviews and audits.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in analytical, inorganic, physical, radio-, or nuclear chemistry; OR M.S. with 5+ years experience; OR B.S. with 8+ years experience.
• 5+ years hands-on analytical chemistry experience, with 2+ years in supervisory or laboratory management role.
• Demonstrated expertise in multiple analytical techniques: spectroscopy (FTIR, Raman, NMR, UV-Vis), chromatography (GC, HPLC, IC), thermal analysis (DSC, TGA), mass spectrometry, XRD, or elemental analysis.
• Experience developing analytical methods, writing SOPs, implementing quality control programs, and maintaining laboratory compliance in regulated environments.
• Strong knowledge of laboratory instrumentation operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and calibration.
• Proven ability to interpret complex data, solve technical problems, and communicate results clearly to diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced R&D or production environments.
• Commitment to laboratory safety culture and experience with chemical hygiene plans, hazardous material handling, and emergency response procedures.
• Ability to obtain and maintain required security clearance and access authorization.
• Preferred Skills and Experience
• Prior experience as chemistry team lead, analytical chemistry manager, or laboratory supervisor at a nuclear facility, national laboratory, DOE/NNSA site, or NRC-licensed facility.
• Experience with uranium chemistry, actinide chemistry, nuclear materials, radiochemistry, or nuclear fuel cycle operations.
• Familiarity with NRC requirements (10 CFR Part 70, Part 26), DOE quality standards (10 CFR 830, DOE O 414.1D), or nuclear industry frameworks (ASME NQA-1, ISO 17025).
• Experience building analytical chemistry capabilities for new facilities, startups, or rapidly scaling technical organizations.
• Bac

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