---
title: 'Mechanical Systems Engineer at Vulcan Elements'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-systems-engineer-vulcan-elements-benson-th27p71e149r'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Mechanical Systems Engineer at Vulcan Elements

- **Company:** Vulcan Elements
- **Location:** Benson, NC
- **Posted:** 2026-10-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5437129008

## 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 Integrity.

As the Mechanical Systems Engineer (HVAC) will support the design, buildout, commissioning, and ongoing operation of critical mechanical utility systems at our Benson, NC production facility. This role will focus on HVAC/ventilation, compressed air, plumbing and fire protection systems, with responsibility for system performance, reliability, and integration with production operations. Success in the first 6–12 months will include developing strong system ownership, support facility startup, and ensuring these systems safely and reliably meet operational requirements.

This role is expected to be in the Benson, NC facility as construction and operations progress.

## Responsibilities

- Serve as the technical owner for HVAC, ventilation, compressed air, plumbing and fire protection systems.
- Support the design, specification, installation, commissioning, and startup of mechanical utility systems and associated equipment.
- Develop and review system layouts, equipment requirements, distribution networks, controls, and operating parameters.
- Coordinate utility and environmental requirements with process equipment suppliers, engineering partners, contractors, and internal stakeholders.
- Review P&IDs, mechanical drawings, specifications, calculations, submittals, and vendor documentation.
- Support equipment sizing, pressure drop calculations, ventilation requirements, system capacity evaluations, and equipment selection.
- Provide field engineering support during construction, testing, balancing, commissioning, and startup.
- Troubleshoot system performance, capacity, controls, reliability, and equipment issues.
- Identify and implement improvements that increase safety, reliability, efficiency, maintainability, and production capability.
- Develop and maintain system documentation, operating requirements, equipment records, maintenance recommendations, and engineering standards.
- Support capital projects and facility modifications that affect mechanical utility systems.
- Track asset utilization and uptime, also including KPI helping ensure uninterrupted service for production teams
- Own and manage operational costs for assigned systems, including utility consumption and lifecycle costs, while identifying opportunities to improve reliability and reduce total cost of ownership.

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

## Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
- Experience with mechanical utility, HVAC, ventilation, compressed air, or plumbing systems in an industrial or manufacturing environment.
- Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, specifications, and equipment documentation.
- Working knowledge of fluid flow, pressure systems, ventilation, and mechanical equipment.
- Ability to work onsite and support construction, commissioning, startup, and operational activities as business needs require.

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

Desired Qualifications

- Experience with industrial HVAC and ventilation systems, including air handling, exhaust, make-up air, and environmental control.
- Experience with compressed air systems, including compressors, dryers, receivers, filtration, and distribution.
- Experience with plumbing systems, including potable and domestic water distribution, sanitary waste and vent systems, piping, valves, fixtures, and point-of-use connections.
- Experience with fire protection systems, including sprinkler, suppression, fire water, and associated pumping systems.
- Experience supporting greenfield manufacturing facility construction or major utility system installations.
- Experience with system commissioning activities including pressure testing, leak testing, TAB, functional testing, and performance verification.
- Familiarity with applicable mechanical, fire, building, and industrial gas codes and standards.
- Experience troubleshooting airflow, pressure, capacity, controls, and system reliability issues.
- Experience reviewing P&IDs, equipment layouts, ductwork and piping drawings, vendor submittals, and control narratives.
- Strong problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional coordination skills.
- Experience with AutoCAD, Bluebeam
- PE, EIT, or other relevant professional certification a plus

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.

## 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

- [Laboratory Technician – Materials Characterization](https://feeny.ai/job/laboratory-technician-materials-characterization-vulcan-elements-research-dyjdvhdanh07) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Safety Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/safety-manager-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-pt78qasw38w5) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Maintenance Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/maintenance-manager-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-16xbaat3zj0e) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Operator - R&D / Pilot Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/operator-r-d-pilot-operations-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-35krxp35k1yr) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Capital Projects Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/capital-projects-analyst-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-r89w58fw2m94) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Controls Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/controls-technician-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-44dpx717q56q) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Capital Projects Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/capital-projects-engineer-vulcan-elements-benson-snfcd58ssmqm) — Benson, NC
- [Electrical Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-systems-engineer-vulcan-elements-benson-t95hqdykgzfk) — Benson, NC
- [Senior Laboratory Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-laboratory-technician-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-mc2ps4vvd8jj) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-vulcan-elements-benson-bztp80dghrxt) — Benson, NC