Safety Specialist

Vulcan Elements; Benson (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Vulcan Elements in Durham, NC, is seeking a Safety Specialist to oversee on-site health and safety, ensuring OSHA compliance and alignment with company standards. The role may transfer to the Benson facility when operational.

You will run risk-based inspections, own the tailgate and safety observation programs, perform root-cause analyses, and partner with R&D and process engineering to design safety into scale-up. This is a full-time day shift in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent education/experience.
• 4–6 years related experience.
• Knowledge of OSHA standards and JHA development.
• Experience with incident investigations.
• Excellent communication and autonomy.
• Completed OSHA 30-hour training.

Responsibilities

• Review procedures and draft hazard assessments.
• Run risk-based inspections and close actions.
• Own tailgate program: set rhythm and content for daily work.
• Build safety observation and suggestion program.
• Lead self-assessments and safety checks across the floor.
• Monitor PPE inventories to ensure supplies are available.
• Provide supplemental environmental compliance support as required.
• Co-develop OSHA-aligned safety policies with EHS leadership.
• Own KPIs to prove safety is working and drive improvements.
• Collaborate with R&D during scale-up to embed safety in design.

Skills

OSHA standards

Incident investigation

JHA development

Safety program ownership

Strong communication

Autonomy

OSHA 30-hour training

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure 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 Safety Specialist you will be responsible for providing on-site observation of activities and reporting at the Vulcan Elements R&D facility in Durham, NC. You will ensure health and safety compliance with applicable regulations and existing company standards. This is a full-time, day shift position that will either remain at the Durham R&D facility or transfer to the Benson facility once the Benson facility is operational.

Responsibilities

• Review manufacturing and test procedures and work with the team to draft the job hazard assessments that shape how work gets done.
• Run risk-based inspections and see corrective actions through to real closure.
• Own the daily tailgate program: set the rhythm, make the content matter to that day's work, and build supervisors' ability to run it independently
• Build and run the safety observation and suggestion program — the channel that turns floor-level instinct into trend data leadership acts on.
• Lead self-assessments and safety checks across the floor, including the paperwork behind them, evaluating risk and trends to address gaps and establish best in class safety performance.
• Monitor safety equipment inventories to ensure supplies such as PPE are readily available for employees.
• Provide supplemental environmental compliance support as required by Environmental department
• Co-develop OSHA-aligned safety policies with the EHS leader, built for the speed and variability of R&D pilot work, and pressure-test them with the team until they hold up on the floor.
• Own the KPIs that prove safety is working — tailgate completion, observation closure, self-assessment trends, corrective action aging — and use them to drive where attention goes next.
• Watch how new processes and equipment shift the risk picture, and keep documentation audit-ready as a matter of course.
• Facilitate root cause analysis on safety incidents and higher potential near-misses and bring that same rigor to RCAs led by others.
• Partner with R&D and process engineering during scale-up so safety gets designed in before new work ever reaches the floor.
• Lead by influence — build the kind of trust with supervisors and area owners that makes them want to own tailgates, self-assessments, and corrective actions themselves.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent education and/or experience.
• 4-6 years of job specific experience.
• Working knowledge of OSHA standards, JHA development, and incident investigation methodology.
• Comfort operating with real authority and autonomy.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build trust and credibility.
• Completed OSHA 30-hour training

Desired Skills

• First aid/CPR/AED certified

Work Environment and Demands

• Must have a valid driver’s license
• Must be able to perform activities including climbing ladders and scaffolds, lifting (up to 35 lbs), walking, balancing, and stooping.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate

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

As set forth in Vulcan Elements’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.