Senior Manager, Metallization Operations

Vulcan Elements Inc.; Benson (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vulcan Elements seeks a Senior Manager, Metallization Operations to lead startup, commissioning and ramp of a new metallization line in Durham, NC, moving to Benson, NC. You will shape the operating design, recruit and develop the team, and own safety, throughput, yield and cost in steady state.

You will partner across engineering, EHS, automation and capital teams to ensure a successful, compliant operation with continuous improvement and cost control.

Qualifications

• Eight+ years in metallurgical, chemical/process or heavy industrial manufacturing.
• Five+ years leading production teams in a continuous or multi-shift environment.
• Strong foundation in high-temperature metallurgical or process operations.
• Demonstrated ownership of greenfield or major-expansion commissioning and qualification.
• Ability to build and develop an operations organization, including staffing and frontline leadership development.
• Solid manufacturing quality systems knowledge and structured problem solving.
• Direct accountability for safety and environmental performance in a heavy industrial setting.
• Budget ownership and collaboration with engineering on capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Own Metallization Operations startup end to end, including design review, FAT, installation, turnover and rate ramp.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Process Technology, Capital Execution, Automation & Digital Manufacturing, Maintenance and EHS on equipment config and control systems.
• Design the Metallization Operations organization for continuous multi-shift operation and headcount planning.
• Recruit, onboard and develop the team; define roles, progression and qualification standards.
• Drive ramp from first metal to stable full-rate operation and improve safety, yield, quality and energy performance.

Skills

Leadership

Startup & commissioning

Safety & compliance

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science/Metallurgical/Cooding Engineering/ Chemistry

Tools

MES systems

Process control systems

Job description

Senior Manager, Metallization Operations

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 Integrity.

This leader is hired before the metallization equipment is installed and is accountable for building the organization, shaping the operating design, commissioning and qualifying the process, and running it once it starts. The role will define the shift and staffing model, recruit and develop the operating team, provide hands‑on operability input during design and equipment acceptance, lead startup from first metal through rate ramp, and then own safety, throughput, yield and recovery, quality, equipment performance and operating cost in steady state.

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

Responsibilities

Startup, Commissioning and Process Qualification

• Own Metallization Operations startup end to end - from design review and factory acceptance testing through installation, site acceptance, commissioning, process qualification and rate ramp.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Process Technology, Capital Execution, Automation & Digital Manufacturing, Maintenance and EHS on equipment configuration, layout, material flow, operator access, controls and instrumentation, sampling, maintainability, and off‑gas/environmental systems; serve as the operations acceptance authority for equipment turnover.
• Build the commissioning and training plan with technical teams and equipment suppliers, bringing supervisors and technicians into FAT, installation and startup early enough that the operating organization develops capability before turnover rather than after it.
• Drive the ramp from first metal to stable full-rate operation, sequencing equipment and cell startup against the commissioning schedule and using operating data to close gaps in safety, yield, quality, availability and energy performance.

Organization Design and Team Build

• Design the Metallization Operations organization for continuous multi‑shift operation: staffing model, span of control, supervisor and shift‑lead structure, technician coverage, technical support interfaces and the daily floor leadership model. Build the headcount plan backward from commissioning and ramp needs.
• Recruit, onboard and develop the team in phases; define technician roles, progression and cross‑training requirements, qualification standards, shift handoff routines and frontline leadership expectations so the organization can safely own the process at turnover.

Safe and Compliant Operations

• Partner with EHS on job hazard analysis, pre‑startup safety review and operating procedures for high‑temperature process equipment, high‑current electrical systems, molten salts and metal, fumes and gases, chemical handling, LOTO and upset conditions before equipment is energized.
• Establish the environmental operating controls and shift routines required to keep air‑emissions controls, waste streams, chemical handling, inspections, near‑miss reporting and abnormal‑condition response effective and compliant.

Process Performance, OEE and Quality

• Own the operating metrics for the area - throughput, yield and metal recovery, quality, availability/OEE, specific energy consumption and key consumable performance. Establish the measurement method, data capture and loss taxonomy before startup so the baseline is trustworthy.
• Drive stable process control and product consistency in partnership with Process Engineering and Quality, including critical process parameters, chemistry and purity checks, sampling plans, statistical monitoring, material disposition and escalation limits.
• Lead structured problem solving on the largest recurring losses in cell stability, yield, downtime, energy use and consumable life; partner with Maintenance and Engineering to convert startup lessons into reliability improvements and standard work.

Operating Budget and Resource Management

• Own the Metallization Operations operating expense budget: direct and indirect labor, electricity, process consumables, electrodes and cell materials, gases and chemicals, maintenance consumables, waste handling and operating supplies.
• Build the area cost model and headcount plan through commissioning and ramp, and manage it with clear monthly variance explanation, corrective action and updated resource forecasts.
• Manage energy and process‑consumable performance as controllable cost levers, including supplier strategy, inventory, consumption rates, useful life and cost per unit of metal produced.

Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or a related technical discipline.
• Eight or more years in metallurgical, chemical/process or heavy industrial manufacturing, including five or more years leading production teams in a continuous or multi‑shift operating environment.
• Strong technical foundation in high‑temperature metallurgical or process operations, with the ability to understand process chemistry, thermal and electrical systems, material and yield balances, process controls and the drivers of operating variation.
• Demonstrated ownership of greenfield or major‑expansion commissioning and process qualification - from design and equipment acceptance through installation, startup, operating stabilization and rate ramp.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop an operations organization, including workforce planning, hiring, technical training, operator qualification, standard work and frontline supervisor development.
• Strong command of manufacturing quality systems and structured problem solving, including root‑cause analysis, process capability/statistical control, KPI development and corrective action.
• Direct accountability for safety and environmental performance in a heavy industrial or process environment, including LOTO, high‑temperature hazards, electrical safety, chemical/gas handling and operating compliance.
• Operating budget ownership with demonstrated cost control, and experience partnering with engineering teams on capital projects, automation or significant equipment upgrades.

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

Preferred

• Direct experience with rare earth metallization, molten‑salt electrolysis, nonferrous reduction/refining or comparable electrochemical metal production.
• Experience in steelmaking, melting and casting, or another high‑temperature continuous metallurgical operation with strong transferability to startup and process control.
• Greenfield plant startup experience with international equipment suppliers, factory acceptance testing, automation/robotics integration or major process‑technology deployment.
• Experience with environmental compliance and operating controls for metallurgical processes, including air‑emissions systems, process waste streams and chemical management.
• Experience deploying MES, historian/shop‑floor data collection, advanced process monitoring or other digital manufacturing systems; Lean or Six Sigma experience is a plus.

This position requires access to information and technology that is subject to US Export Control. Vulcan Elements will use this information to determine if you are eligible to receive this information under US Law.

Physical and Environmental Requirements

The position requires regular presence on the production floor and the ability to navigate all areas of the facility. Candidates must be able to climb stairs, stand and walk for extended periods, and work in environments that may be hot, humid, or noisy. The role also requires the use of personal protective equipment, including respirators, and adherence to all applicable safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. Employees must be able to complete required fit testing, wear appropriate PPE for the duration of assigned tasks, and respond safely to changing conditions within the production environment.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

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.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A \"disabled veteran\" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A \"recently separated veteran\" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An \"active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran\" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An \"Armed forces service medal veteran\" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.