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 Pilot Process Engineering Lead, 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.

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.