Sr R D Engineer Jobs in Durham, NC (NOW HIRING)

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 the Process Engineer, you will own the operational and engineering backbone of our rare earth magnet pilot plant from floor-level production support to MES/ERP architecture — and build the technology transfer foundation that takes us from pilot to commercial production at our Benson facility.

Responsibilities

OT Data Integration and Analytics Focal Point

• Lead MES implementation at the pilot plant, including recipe management, electronic batch records, equipment integration, and data historian connectivity.
• Serve as the primary operations interface for ERP integration — production orders, material consumption, inventory transactions, and batch genealogy.
• Build and maintain process data pipelines; develop operator-facing dashboards for real-time production visibility.
• Ensure MES and ERP data architecture is designed from the start to scale directly to the Benson commercial facility with minimal rework.
• Drive data integrity across production records, material traceability, and batch history — audit-ready and transfer-ready at all times.

Production Operations

• Work on the floor with operators during magnet production runs: powder handling, pressing, sintering, and post-process finishing.
• Own production scheduling support, shift standup, and daily reporting across throughput, yield, uptime, and open deviations.
• Troubleshoot process deviations and equipment issues in real time; lead structured problem-solving and document root cause findings.
• Partner with maintenance on preventive maintenance schedules and failure mode tracking to continuously improve equipment uptime.
• Manage production consumables, tooling, and material readiness to keep runs on schedule.

Process Engineering & Recipes

• Own production recipe documentation — pressing parameters, sintering profiles, atmosphere controls, and post-processing specs — in close alignment with R&D.
• Execute and support process improvement trials at the pilot plant; analyze data and translate findings into updated procedures.
• Apply statistical process control (SPC) and trend analysis to critical process parameters; identify drift early and drive corrective action before it impacts output.
• Build and maintain the process characterization package that underpins commercial scale-up.

Quality Documentation & Change Control

• Author, maintain, and train to production SOPs covering all pilot plant operations: equipment, process steps, safety, and quality checks.
• Enforce rigorous change control on recipes and procedures — every revision documented, approved, and reflected in the MES.
• Support internal audits and customer/partner quality reviews with organized, traceable production records.

Technology Transfer to Benson

• Build and maintain the technology transfer package: process descriptions, critical parameters, operating ranges, known failure modes, and scale-up considerations.
• Partner with R&D to translate experimental results into validated production procedures ready for commercial deployment.
• Contribute to Benson equipment specifications, capacity planning, and production readiness — with direct input into how the commercial facility is designed and staffed.
• This role is the direct path to a production engineering leadership position at Benson; the pilot plant is where that foundation gets built.

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

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• 3+ years of process engineering or manufacturing engineering experience in a production environment — chemicals, advanced materials, metals, or similar process-intensive industries.
• Hands-on experience with MES platforms (recipe management, electronic batch records, equipment integration); familiarity with ERP systems and production/inventory transaction workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to own and improve a live production process — scheduling, deviation management, SPC, and root cause analysis.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools (Python, SQL, or similar); ability to build and maintain process data pipelines and operator dashboards without heavy IT support.
• Experience authoring and maintaining SOPs, batch records, and process documentation in a regulated or audit-ready environment.

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

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.