Senior Coatings & Materials Scientist (NdFeB Magnets)

Vulcan Elements; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vulcan Elements, located in North Carolina, seeks a Senior Material Scientist to own the science linking protective coatings to corrosion resistance for NdFeB magnets. You will run lab and pilot-scale studies, interact with external suppliers, and hand off specs for production.

You will lead material characterization, DOE-driven optimization, and cross-functional collaboration to shape a new production facility, with mentorship for junior staff and direct impact on scale‑up success.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master's in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Chemistry, or related field.
• 3+ years hands-on experience in metallic coatings, surface finishing, or corrosion protection in industrial R&D.
• Experience with SEM/EDS, XRD, optical microscopy, and coating thickness/adhesion testing.
• Familiarity with structured failure-analysis methodologies.
• Strong DOE and statistical analysis skills.
• Excellent technical writing and cross-functional communication.
• Experience managing external suppliers or contract processors.

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, and optimize protective metallic, passivation, or polymer coatings for NdFeB magnets.
• Design and run coating process experiments; correlate variables to quality and performance.
• Characterize materials and perform failure analysis using SEM/EDS, XRD, microscopy, and corrosion testing.
• Manage relationships with external coating suppliers; qualify vendors; coordinate outsourced runs.
• Collaborate with powder metallurgy and process engineering to relate variables to coating performance.
• Lead root-cause investigations and drive corrective actions; ensure closure.
• Create and maintain process documentation, test protocols, and supplier specs.
• Present results and recommendations to cross-functional partners and leadership.
• Mentor junior engineers and lab technicians on coatings and testing.

Skills

Coatings

DOE

Statistical analysis

Report writing

Cross-functional

Mentorship

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science

Master's in Metallurgical Engineering

Tools

SEM/EDS

XRD

Optical microscopy

Coating thickness testing

Adhesion testing

Job description

Vulcan Elements, located in North Carolina, seeks a Senior Material Scientist to own the science linking protective coatings to corrosion resistance for NdFeB magnets. You will run lab and pilot-scale studies, interact with external suppliers, and hand off specs for production.

You will lead material characterization, DOE-driven optimization, and cross-functional collaboration to shape a new production facility, with mentorship for junior staff and direct impact on scale‑up success.