Director of Manufacturing Engineering

Vulcan Elements•Research Triangle Park, NC

About The Position

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 Director of Manufacturing Engineering, you will lead a team responsible for translating pilot-line processes into full-scale, stable, and repeatable production systems across a 1M+ sqft facility — spanning alloy processing, strip casting, powder metallurgy, pressing, sintering, machining, coating, and testing.

Requirements

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

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain a robust quality management system (QMS) compliant with AS9100 (Aerospace), IATF 16949 (Automotive), and/or ISO 9001 standards.
Build and scale the quality team, including quality engineering, inspection, and laboratory functions, to support full-scale manufacturing
Establish rigorous Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) programs to drive continuous improvement.
Develop and oversee a supplier quality management program to ensure the integrity of the raw material supply chain.
Partner with Engineering, Operations, and Data Informatics to integrate automated quality inspection and data collection into the production workflow.
In collaboration with the Materials & Data Informatics team, oversee the selection, operation, and maintenance of advanced metrology equipment and laboratory testing for magnet performance and material characterization in the production facility.
Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business
Own end-to-end process design, commissioning and optimization across major NdFeB production steps (alloy preparation, casting, powder production, pressing, sintering, machining, coating, testing, and packaging).
Lead the manufacturing engineering and process development teams through factory design, equipment installation, commissioning, and operation.
Define and control critical process parameters to achieve tight tolerance, yield, and performance requirements.
Drive root cause analysis, FMEA, and continuous improvement programs to stabilize throughput and quality.
Translate pilot learnings into scalable line designs, process flow, and automation requirements.
Lead technical onboarding of new production equipment and oversee process qualification and line validation.
Build and mentor a high-performing process engineering, manufacturing engineering, and automation & control teams.
Manage technical schedules, budgets, and deliverables aligned with company milestones and customer commitments.