Staff Mechanical Engineer: Custom Manufacturing Equipment Lead

Vulcan-Elements; Benson (NC); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Vulcan Elements, a US manufacturer of rare‑earth magnets, seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead the design of custom production equipment for a new 1 million square foot facility. You will translate pilot‑line processes into fully engineered machinery and own the mechanical and electrical design.

This high‑impact role requires CAD leadership (SolidWorks, Inventor), GD&T, and CAE analyses, with close collaboration to fabrication shops. Travel is <10% as we scale magnet manufacturing for defense, aerospace, and automotive markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field with 7+ years experience or a Master’s with 5+ years.
• Expert-level experience creating and validating highly complex equipment assemblies in CAD (SolidWorks, Inventor) and creating 2D drawings with GD&T.
• Proven experience leading equipment design on both mechanical (frames, mechanisms, actuators) and electrical (panel layouts, basic schematics, sensor integration) sides.
• Hands-on experience performing stress, thermal, and fluid flow simulations to validate designs before production.
• Direct experience working with external fabrication shops, specifying weldments, finishes, and maintaining tight tolerances.

Responsibilities

• Lead ground-up mechanical and electrical design of custom, proprietary manufacturing equipment for magnet production.
• Collaborate with fabrication shops to turn digital designs into hardware; source components, manage lead times, oversee quality.
• Provide on-the-floor support during assembly, wiring, and testing; troubleshoot fitment or functional issues.
• Conduct stress, thermal, and CFD analyses to ensure equipment withstands harsh environments.
• Work with Process, Quality, and Operations teams to review designs and apply DFMA principles.
• Ensure equipment complies with safety, environmental, and ergonomic standards before production.
• Travel to fabrication shops for build reviews (estimated <10%).
• Develop and manage deliverables: 2D drawings, 3D CAD assemblies, electrical/pneumatic drawings, BOMs, and maintenance manuals.

Skills

CAD design

GD&T proficiency

Mechanical design leadership

Electrical panel layouts

Stress/thermal/CFD simulations

Vendor coordination with fabrication

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronics

7+ years experience or Master +5 years

Tools

SolidWorks

Inventor

CAD software

FEA software (e.g., ANSYS)

CFD software

Electrical CAD

Job description

Vulcan Elements, a US manufacturer of rare‑earth magnets, seeks a Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead the design of custom production equipment for a new 1 million square foot facility. You will translate pilot‑line processes into fully engineered machinery and own the mechanical and electrical design.

This high‑impact role requires CAD leadership (SolidWorks, Inventor), GD&T, and CAE analyses, with close collaboration to fabrication shops. Travel is <10% as we scale magnet manufacturing for defense, aerospace, and automotive markets.