--- title: 'Industrial Hygienist at Vulcan Elements' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/industrial-hygienist-vulcan-elements-benson-2az35h3ersaf' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Industrial Hygienist at Vulcan Elements - **Company:** Vulcan Elements - **Location:** Benson, NC - **Posted:** 2026-08-05 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5377100008 ## 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 an Industrial Hygienist at Vulcan Elements you will be responsible for indoor air quality, employee health and protection, project oversight and report preparation. This role begins in Durham, NC and is expected to move to Benson, NC upon completion of new facility. ## Responsibilities Program Development - Design and stand up Vulcan's Industrial Hygiene Program, establishing enterprise-wide standards that comply with local, state, and federal regulations. - Assist in developing a pre-employment and annual physical program for team members - Design and implement an Industrial Hygiene Sampling and Monitoring program. - Design and implement an Ergonomics program - Assist in establishing PPE requirements and a PPE program. Field Leadership - Conduct Industrial Hygiene Sampling and Monitoring - Chemical and noise exposures - Area and personal air monitoring - Compare employee exposures to noise and air contamination against regulatory limits from OSHA; local, state, and federal regulations; and ACGIH - Conduct audits and surveys to determine PPE effectiveness. - Conduct regular as well as incident-related ergonomic assessments and provide recommendations - Interface with regulatory agencies and incorporate new regulations into the program. - Conduct team member respirator fit testing - Oversee and coordinate employee health testing (audiometric, pulmonary, etc.) - Report preparation Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business ## Qualifications - BA/BS in industrial hygiene, environmental science/engineering, occupational health science, or other related field - 5+ years of technical experience in an industrial environment - 5+ of experience in developing complex exposure assessments, identifying similar exposure groups (SEGs), and developing exposure monitoring plans - Experience in area and personal air monitoring - Experience in conducting noise surveys, evaluating data, and providing recommendations - Experience in conducting ergonomic assessments and providing recommendations - Experience in participating in JHAs and writing HASPs. - Knowledge of industrial processes and the health hazards associated with chemicals, biological agents, and physical stressors - Ability to work in a respirator and protective clothing. - Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication - Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams Desired Skills - Experience building a program or working in a start-up, industrial/manufacturing company - Experience in powdered metal industry - First aid/CPR/AED certification - OSHA 30 Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities. ## #LI-CM1 ## About Vulcan Elements ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Vulcan Elements manufactures American rare-earth permanent magnets to build a resilient, Western supply chain for critical industries including defense, aerospace, automotive, and AI datacenters. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed + Series A + Debt financing) - **Headquarters**: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (primary R&D operations also in Research Triangle Park, NC) - **Founded**: 2023 - **Founders**: John Maslin (CEO) and Dr. Piotr Kulik (CTO) ## Core Business - Primary industry: Advanced manufacturing of rare earth permanent magnets (neodymium). - Target customers: B2B and government/defense – enterprise customers in defense, aerospace, automotive, industrial, consumer electronics, AI datacenters, semiconductor fabrication. - Mission: "Improving U.S. and allied security by producing the Rare Earth Magnets that are critical to economic and national security." – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/) ## Products & Services - **Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (Neodymium)**: High-performance sintered and bonded magnets used in motors, generators, sensors, and actuators. Application areas include defense systems, satellites, AI datacenters, semiconductor fabrication, consumer electronics, industrial motors, power tools, and non-drive train motors. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/) - **R&D and Process Optimization**: Developing next-generation magnetic technologies and advanced manufacturing processes focused on efficiency, cost competitiveness, and supply chain transparency. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/) ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Total Funding**: $690.2 million (as of November 2025) across three rounds: - Seed Round (Dec 2023): $5.2M – 3 investors. - Series A (Sep 2025): $65M – led by Washington Harbour Partners and Altimeter. - Debt Financing (Nov 2025): $620M – led by the Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC). – [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/vulcan-elements) / [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements) - **Key Metric**: Total funding $690.2M; production output of 10 metric tons in 2025. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital, Washington Harbour Partners, Altimeter. - **Growth Signals**: - Announced a $1.4 billion partnership with the United States government. - Selected Benson, North Carolina, for a 1.1 million sq ft facility – the largest magnet manufacturing plant outside China. - Employee headcount of 38 (+200% YoY) as of mid-2026. - Rapidly scaling pilot operations; 37 open job listings on Greenhouse. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/) / [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements) / [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements) ## Competitive Advantages - **Domestic Supply Chain**: The only U.S. company vertically integrating rare earth magnet production, reducing reliance on Chinese supply. - **Technical Expertise**: Co-founder Dr. Piotr Kulik is one of four rare earth magnet science professors in the U.S. and opened the first academic rare earth magnetics lab in the country in over 20 years. - **Government Backing**: Strong ties to U.S. national security agencies and over a billion dollars in government-funded partnerships. - **Process Innovation**: Proprietary process optimization methods aimed at cost competitiveness without sacrificing performance. - **National Security Focus**: All operations require U.S. Person status, aligning with defense and aerospace customer needs. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale Production**: Transition from pilot-scale (10 metric tons/year) to mass production at the Benson, NC facility to meet surging demand from defense, AI, and automotive sectors. - **Supply Chain Resilience**: Partnering exclusively with U.S. and allied-country suppliers (UK, Australia, Japan). - **R&D**: Developing next-generation magnetic materials and advanced manufacturing processes. - **Talent Acquisition**: Actively hiring engineers, scientists, operations, and business development talent to support rapid growth. – [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements) ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven Culture**: Employees contribute directly to national security and economic resilience, with values of Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/careers/) - **Benefits**: Competitive equity, unlimited PTO, 90% health insurance (100% for employee), 99% dental and vision, 401K, fully stocked kitchen. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/careers/) - **Work Environment**: Fast-paced startup with a "startup manufacturer" ethos; roles are largely on-site in Research Triangle Park, NC or Benson, NC. Internship opportunities available with mentorship and real impact on critical projects. - **Growth Opportunity**: Extremely high headcount growth (+200% YoY) and large-scale facility expansion offer rapid career advancement. - **U.S. Person Requirement**: Many positions require U.S. Person status due to government contracts. ## Sources 1. [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/) 2. [vulcanelements.com/careers](https://vulcanelements.com/careers/) 3. [greenhouse.io (Vulcan Elements jobs)](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements) 4. [linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements) 5. [cbinsights.com/company/vulcan-elements](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/vulcan-elements) ## Other roles at Vulcan Elements - [Payroll Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/payroll-specialist-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-cgnbgwqzqqss) — Research Triangle Park - [Senior Materials Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-materials-scientist-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-53n83a0hj1yh) — Research Triangle Park, NC - [Sr. Manager, Operational Excellence](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-manager-operational-excellence-vulcan-elements-benson-y4aw80sbt401) — Benson, NC - [Staff Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-process-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-jfs5jqwjdteq) — Research Triangle Park, NC - [R&D Materials & Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/r-d-materials-process-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-ksmm3yh6bxmy) — Research Triangle Park, NC - [Controls Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/controls-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-m1m7tkg7thr1) — Research Triangle Park, NC - [Safety Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/safety-specialist-vulcan-elements-benson-d58ksk27rxgj) — Benson, NC - [Machinist](https://feeny.ai/job/machinist-vulcan-elements-benson-z2y1p4qcfny9) — Benson, NC - [Manufacturing Engineering Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-engineering-manager-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-56h2n366x0pb) — Research Triangle Park, NC - [Machining Site Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/machining-site-lead-vulcan-elements-benson-m7fnfqdmxg27) — Benson, NC