R&D Materials & Process Engineer

R&D Materials & Process Engineer

Research Triangle Park, NC

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure, resilient future. With a focus on national security and economic resiliency, we serve critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive powering a high-technology future. Vulcan Elements is building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency. We are seeking a driven R&D Materials & Process Engineer specializing in rare-earth permanent magnet fabrication.

In this role, you will lead the practical process development, optimization, and scale-up of sintered NdFeB (Neodymium Iron Boron) magnet manufacturing. You will focus heavily on refining the end-to-end powder metallurgy pipeline—from alloy melting through powder preparation, alignment, sintering, and heat treatment. You will act as the bridge between metallurgical research and full-scale factory execution, establishing robust processing windows, driving yield improvements, and translating laboratory innovations into scalable manufacturing operations.

Responsibilities:

• Design and refine core processing steps, including Strip Casting, Hydrogen Decrepitation, Jet Milling & press parameters as they relate to process throughput, yield, downstream processing and final magnetic properties.
• Develop and fine-tune vacuum sintering profiles/thermal cycles as they relate to microstructural features and final magnetic performance.
• Design of Experiments for improvement in magnetic performance, process throughput and yield, and cost improvement.
• Conduct root-cause failure analysis (RCA) to eliminate processing defects
• Support the scaling up of validated experimental processes from lab/pilot-scale equipment to full commercial production lines
• Collaborate closely with production and equipment engineering teams to modify existing tooling or specify requirements for next-generation processing equipment.

Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business

Qualifications:

• Education:
  
  Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, or Process Engineering.
• Experience:
  
  3+ years of direct experience in process engineering or industrial R&D environment
• Deep practical knowledge of powder metallurgy, vacuum thermal processing, and metal powder pressing.
• Hands-on experience operating, troubleshooting, or optimizing industrial processing equipment.
• Strong proficiency with magnetic testing systems (Hysteresisgraph, Pulsed Field Magnetometry) and material characterization tools (SEM/EDS, XRD, particle size analyzers).
• Proven track record applying DOE, Six Sigma methodologies, and statistical tools (e.g. Python, or JMP) for data analysis. Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Preferred

Skills:

• Direct experience with sintered NdFeB magnet manufacturing or design
• Direct experience with inert gas handling systems, oxygen-controlled environments, and powder oxidation prevention techniques.
• Experience with automated material handling or pressing tooling design for high-volume magnet manufacturing.