Manufacturing Engineer

Overview

Vulcan Elements is a manufacturer of American rare‑earth permanent magnets dedicated to national security and economic resiliency. The company supports critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive, building a future‑enabled, high‑technology supply chain. Positions focus on Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency.

The Manufacturing Engineer will play a central role in the full lifecycle of a 1 million square‑foot manufacturing facility expansion. Responsibilities include design, equipment specification, installation, commissioning, production startup, and scale‑up to full capacity. The role will begin in Research Triangle Park, NC and transition to Benson, NC upon completion of the new facility.

• Lead the evaluation, quote comparison, and selection of advanced manufacturing technologies and vendors to meet aggressive scaling and quality goals.
• Own end‑to‑end process ownership: equipment design and requirements, vendor performance, commissioning activities, process development, and production qualification for heavy production processes such as alloy production, casting, jet milling, powder production, pressing, and sintering.
• 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 to stabilize processes and eliminate early bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with R&D to innovate new processes and equipment strategies for future production lines, advancing Vulcan’s best‑in‑class magnet manufacturing.
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards across all process activities.
• Support equipment development reviews and Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) as needed, with an estimated 25 % travel requirement.

• Risk & Safety:
  Risk Assessments, Ergonomic Assessments, PFMEA.
• Process Design:
  Line Layouts, Process Flow Charts, Bill of Process (BOP), Station Cycle Times, Process Sheets, and Simulations.
• Engineering Diagrams: CAD Drawings, Electrical & Pneumatic Drawings, and necessary calculations.
• Quality & Control:
  Control Plans, R&R (Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility) Studies, Checklists.
• Operations & Maintenance: SOPs, Calibration Procedures, Spare Parts Lists, BOM, and Maintenance Manuals.
• Controls & IT: HMI Manuals, Vision Programs, MES Transaction Lists.

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Automation Engineering, or related technical discipline with 3+ years of experience.
• CAD Proficiency:
  Strong, hands‑on experience creating, modifying, and validating complex equipment assemblies.
• Equipment Design & Commissioning:
  Proven track record in heavy custom equipment design, vendor management, and full‑cycle commissioning for thermal or raw material processing.
• Documentation Mastery:
  Expert-level experience authoring and developing standard manufacturing documents (PFMEA, Control Plans, Work Instructions, Process Flows).
• Technical Literacy:
  Ability to read, interpret, and create electrical schematics and pneumatic diagrams; perform core engineering calculations.

Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export‑controlled information or facilities.

• Experience in heavy industrial manufacturing, metallurgy, foundry operations, or chemical processing.
• Experience handling reactive powders or managing high‑temperature vacuum furnace environments.
• Proficiency with advanced simulation software for workflow and line balancing.
• Familiarity with MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) implementation and transaction mapping.