Senior Coatings Scientist for NdFeB Magnets & Corrosion

Vulcan-Elements; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Vulcan Elements in North Carolina seeks a Senior Material Scientist to own coatings science and characterization for high-performance NdFeB magnets.

You will develop and qualify protective metallic and polymer coatings, work with external suppliers, and collaborate with production teams to scale up processes. This hands-on, IC role offers direct influence on a new facility and growth opportunities in a fast-scaling manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or Master’s in a technical field; 3+ years in metallic coatings, surface finishing, or corrosion protection in an industrial R&D setting.
• Experience with materials characterization techniques: SEM/EDS, XRD, optical microscopy, and coating thickness/adhesion testing.
• Familiarity with structured failure-analysis methodology and DOE with statistical analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, and optimize protective metallic, passivation, or polymer coatings for NdFeB magnets to meet corrosion, adhesion, and thermal-performance specs.
• Design and run coating process experiments; correlate variables to coating quality and performance.
• Perform materials characterization and failure analysis using SEM/EDS, XRD, optical microscopy, coating-thickness and adhesion testing across R&D and production samples.
• Manage relationships with external coating suppliers and toll processors; qualify new vendors and coordinate outsourced coating runs.
• Partner with powder metallurgy and process engineering teams to understand upstream variables shaping finish and microstructure.
• Lead root-cause investigations for coating defects, corrosion failures, and quality escapes, driving corrective actions.
• Author process documentation, test protocols, and supplier specifications to support scale-up and quality systems.
• Present experimental results, process recommendations, and risk assessments to cross-functional partners and leadership.
• Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers and lab technicians.

Skills

DOE

Statistical analysis

Cross-functional communication

Technical writing

Supplier management

Education

Ph.D. or Master’s in Materials Science/Metallurgical Engineering/Chemistry

Tools

SEM/EDS

XRD

Optical microscopy

Coating thickness/adhesion testing

Job description

Vulcan Elements in North Carolina seeks a Senior Material Scientist to own coatings science and characterization for high-performance NdFeB magnets.

You will develop and qualify protective metallic and polymer coatings, work with external suppliers, and collaborate with production teams to scale up processes. This hands-on, IC role offers direct influence on a new facility and growth opportunities in a fast-scaling manufacturing environment.