---
title: 'Network Engineer at Vulcan Elements'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/network-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-46455hc7m0f5'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Network Engineer at Vulcan Elements

- **Company:** Vulcan Elements
- **Location:** Research Triangle Park, NC
- **Posted:** 2026-06-19
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5257646008

## 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 a Network Engineer, you will design, deploy, and maintain the network infrastructure that powers our office and manufacturing facilities. You will be a key contributor to ensuring secure, reliable, and high-performance connectivity across IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments. This role requires deep technical expertise in enterprise networking, a strong security mindset aligned with CMMC and NIST 800-171, and hands-on experience in regulated or government-adjacent environments.

## Responsibilities

- Network Design and Deployment: Architect, implement, and maintain LAN/WAN/WLAN infrastructure across office and manufacturing environments using Cisco Meraki and Ubiquiti UniFi platforms.
- OT Network Management: Design and maintain segmented OT/IT network environments supporting industrial control systems, PLCs, and manufacturing floor devices. Enforce strict zone isolation in accordance with NIST and CMMC control families.
- Security and Compliance: Implement and enforce network security controls aligned with NIST and CMMC requirements, including access control, boundary protection, audit logging, and incident response.
- Firewall and Segmentation: Configure and manage firewalls, VLANs, ACLs, and micro-segmentation policies to protect CUI and sensitive manufacturing data.
- Monitoring and Troubleshooting: Proactively monitor network health, respond to outages, and perform root cause analysis across both IT and OT segments.
- VPN and Remote Access: Administer and maintain secure remote access solutions including site-to-site and client VPN configurations, ensuring least-privilege access.
- Documentation: Maintain detailed network diagrams, configuration baselines, change logs, and system security plans (SSPs) as required for CMMC assessments.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering, Operations, and IT teams to support network requirements for automation, data acquisition, and production systems.
- Government and Compliance Support: Support internal audits, CMMC assessments, and government contract compliance reviews with thorough documentation and evidence collection.

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

## Qualifications

- Experience: 3+ years of experience in network engineering, preferably in a manufacturing, defense, or government-regulated environment.
- OT Network Experience: Hands-on experience designing or maintaining OT/IT converged networks including familiarity with industrial protocols (Modbus, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET) and ICS/SCADA network architecture.
- Platform Proficiency: Direct hands-on experience with Cisco Meraki (switching, wireless, security appliances) and Ubiquiti UniFi (switches, APs, gateways) required.
- Security Mindset: Working knowledge of NIST 800-171, CMMC, and network-level controls. Experience supporting or preparing for CMMC assessments is strongly preferred.
- Government Experience (Preferred): Prior experience supporting federal contractors, DoD programs, or government-adjacent facilities with CUI handling and export-controlled environments (ITAR/EAR).
- Routing and Switching: Strong fundamentals in BGP, OSPF, spanning tree, VLANs, QoS, and SD-WAN concepts.
- Problem Solving: Ability to diagnose and resolve complex network issues across both IT and OT environments with minimal downtime.
- Physical Requirements: Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, work in a manufacturing environment, and perform cable runs, rack installations, and equipment mounting.
- Preferred Certifications: Cisco CCNA or CCNP, Meraki ECMS, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+

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

## 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