Sr. Manufacturing Engineer

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

Job summary

Vulcan Elements Inc. is seeking a Sr. Manufacturing Engineer to drive the full lifecycle of a large facility expansion, from design to scale-up. You will own processes, select equipment and vendors, and lead commissioning and start-up efforts to ensure stable, high-quality production.

This high-impact role requires deep technical expertise, leadership, and a commitment to safety and continuous improvement in a demanding manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field with 5+ years experience.
• Master’s degree with 3+ years experience preferred.
• CAD proficiency with the ability to create and validate complex assemblies.
• Proven track record in equipment design, vendor management, and full-cycle commissioning.
• Ability to read electrical/pneumatic drawings and perform core calculations.

Responsibilities

• Lead equipment design, vendor evaluation, and selection for scale-up.
• Own end-to-end process responsibilities from design to qualification.
• Develop processes to improve throughput, quality, and reliability.
• Manage technical schedules, budgets, and deliverables.
• Provide hands-on startup support to stabilize production.
• Collaborate with R&D for future process innovations.
• Ensure safety, environmental, and quality standards compliance.
• Travel to support FATs and equipment development reviews (<10%).

Skills

Process ownership

Equipment design

Vendor management

Project management

Hands-on startup support

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Master’s degree

Tools

CAD

Job description

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 Transparency.

As a Sr.Manufacturing Engineer, you will contribute to the full lifecycle of a massive 1million square foot manufacturing facility expansion—from design and equipment specification through installation, commissioning, production startup, and scale-up to full capacity. You willbe responsible fora process step, translating pilot-line processes into full-scale, stable, and repeatable production systems. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role requiring deep technicalexpertiseand leadership.

Responsibilities

• Critical Priority — Equipment & Vendor Selection: Lead the evaluation, quote comparison, and selection of advanced manufacturing technologies and vendors. You willown the technicaland financial side-by-side comparisons to ensure selected machinery meets our aggressive scaling and quality goals.
• End-to-End Process Ownership: Own equipment design/requirements, vendor performance and schedule, commissioning activities, process development, and production qualification for a major production process (alloy production, casting, powder production, pressing, sintering, machining, coating, testing, packaging, etc.).
• Process Optimization: Develop andoptimizemanufacturing processes to improve throughput, quality, and equipment reliability. Monitor OEE results and station cycle times to drive yield and capacity improvements.
• Project Management: Manage technical schedules, budgets, and deliverables aligned with company milestones and customer commitments.
• Hands-on Startup Support: Provide hands-on support during production startup, helping stabilize processes andeliminateearly bottlenecks.
• Future Innovation: Develop and innovate new processes and equipment strategies (collaborating with R&D) to implement in future production lines, pushing Vulcan to achieve best-in-class magnet manufacturing.
• EHS & Quality Compliance: Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards across all process activities.
• Travel: This position will require some interaction and travel to support equipment development reviews and Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) as needed (estimated at <10% travel).

You will alsobe responsible fordeveloping, reviewing, or managing the followingdeliverables:

• 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 performing necessary Electrical and Pneumatic Calculations.
• Quality & Control: Quality Control Plans, R&R (Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility) Studies, Quality Checklists, and Process Checklists.
• Operations & Maintenance: Work Instructions (SOPs), Calibration Procedures, Spare Parts Lists, Bill of Materials (BOM), and Maintenance Manuals.
• Controls & IT: HMI Controls Manuals, Vision Programs, MES Transactions Lists.

Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change asdeterminedby the needs of the business.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineeringor a related technical discipline with 5+ years of experience OR aMaster’sdegree with 3+years of experience.
• CAD Proficiency: Strong, hands-on experience creating,modifying, andvalidatingcomplex equipment assemblies in CAD.
• Equipment Design & Commissioning: A proventrack recordin custom equipment design, vendor management, and full-cycle commissioning for various industrial processes.
• Documentation Mastery: Expert-level experience authoring and developing standard manufacturing documents (PFMEA, Control Plans, Work Instructions, and Process Flows).
• Technical Literacy: Ability to read, interpret, and create electrical schematics and pneumatic diagrams, including performing core engineering calculations (electrical/pneumatic).

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

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience specifically in heavy industrial manufacturing, metallurgy, magnetics, or chemical processing.
• Proficiencywith advanced simulation software for workflow and line balancing.
• Hands-on experience with machine vision programming (e.g., Cognex, Keyence).
• Familiarity with MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) implementation and transaction mapping.
• Experience in highly regulated industries such as Defense (DoD), Aerospace (AS9100), or Automotive (IATF 16949).

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.