Manufacturing Engineer – Machining & Automation

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.

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will contribute to the full lifecycle of a massive 1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion—from design and equipment specification through installation, commissioning, production startup, and scale-up to full capacity. You will be responsible for a process step, translating pilot-line processes into full-scale, stable, and repeatable production systems. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role requiring deep technical expertise and leadership.

This role begins in Durham, NC and is expected to move to Benson, NC upon completion of new facility.

• Lead the evaluation, quote comparison, and selection of advanced manufacturing technologies and vendors. You will own the technical and financial side-by-side comparisons to ensure selected machinery meets our aggressive scaling and quality goals.
• Own equipment design/requirements, vendor performance and schedule, commissioning activities, process development, and production qualification for a major automated production process (machining, grinding, coating, testing, and packaging).
• Develop and optimize manufacturing processes to improve throughput, quality, and equipment reliability. Monitor OEE results and station cycle times to drive yield and capacity improvements.
• Manage technical schedules, budgets, and deliverables aligned with company milestones and customer commitments.
• Provide hands-on support during production startup, helping stabilize processes and eliminate early bottlenecks.
• Develop and innovate new processes and equipment strategies (collaborating with R&D) to implement in future production lines, pushing Vulcan to achieve best-in-class magnet manufacturing.
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards across all process activities.

This position will require some interaction and travel to support equipment development reviews and Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) as needed (estimated at