---
title: 'Staff Maintenance / Reliability Engineer at Vulcan Elements'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-maintenance-reliability-engineer-vulcan-elements-benson-w030ce5krbwp'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Staff Maintenance / Reliability Engineer at Vulcan Elements

- **Company:** Vulcan Elements
- **Location:** Benson, NC
- **Posted:** 2026-11-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5468076008

## 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 our Staff Maintenance / Reliability Engineer you will support equipment design, installation, commissioning, and startup while developing maintenance strategies and technical standards that sustain safe, reliable production. Core responsibilities include detailed equipment failure analysis, materials of construction evaluations, engineered seal and gasket selection, and development of preventive and predictive maintenance programs. The role will also help build the site's CMMS, translating OEM requirements and operating experience into accurate asset data and executable maintenance plans.

The ideal candidate combines sound engineering judgment with practical experience troubleshooting complex industrial equipment. They will work directly with technicians, equipment vendors, R&D, Operations, and Engineering to resolve technical problems, capture lessons from the pilot plant, and continuously improve equipment performance.

## Responsibilities

- Lead detailed equipment and component failure investigations, including field inspection, teardown, operating-data review, materials evaluation, root cause determination, and verification of corrective actions.
- Identify and evaluate failure mechanisms such as fatigue, corrosion, erosion, abrasion, thermal degradation, chemical incompatibility, mechanical overstress, and premature component wear.
- Apply equipment criticality assessments, FMEA, and reliability-centered maintenance principles to identify risks, prioritize improvements, and define appropriate maintenance strategies.
- Analyze downtime, repeat failures, MTBF, MTTR, and maintenance history to establish reliability priorities and measure the effectiveness of engineered solutions.
- Engage OEMs, component suppliers, and technical laboratories as needed to validate failure mechanisms, specify design improvements, and prevent recurrence.
- Evaluate and recommend materials of construction for equipment components based on temperature, pressure, vacuum service, process chemistry, corrosion, erosion, wear, and mechanical loading.
- Develop component-selection and replacement strategies for gaskets, O-rings, mechanical seals, packing, and other sealing systems, considering chemical compatibility, thermal cycling, leakage risk, operating life, and serviceability.
- Investigate seal and gasket failures, including compression set, chemical attack, extrusion, thermal aging, installation damage, and sealing-surface deterioration; translate findings into improved specifications and maintenance practices.
- Work with Engineering, OEMs, and Procurement to validate component alternatives, standardize approved materials and sealing designs, and establish reliable spare-part specifications.

Maintenance Engineering and CMMS Setup

- Help configure and populate the CMMS from startup, including equipment asset registers, functional locations, hierarchies, equipment criticality, and master data standards.
- Develop asset-specific PM and predictive maintenance content: inspection routines, lubrication requirements, task instructions, frequencies, condition-monitoring points, estimated labor, and initial job plans.
- Establish equipment bills of materials, critical-spares recommendations, component specifications, interchangeability information, and replacement criteria in coordination with MRO and Maintenance leadership.
- Define consistent equipment failure codes, maintenance history requirements, and technical documentation; validate asset data and work-order workflows before equipment handover.
- Use commissioning results, pilot experience, and maintenance history to refine PM strategies, improve CMMS data quality, and eliminate unnecessary or ineffective maintenance tasks.

Pilot Plant Support, Commissioning and Equipment Readiness

- Provide hands-on maintenance and reliability engineering support to the R&D pilot plant, including troubleshooting, equipment inspections, component evaluations, and recurring-failure investigations.
- Capture pilot operating experience, equipment failure modes, wear patterns, and maintenance learnings; translate these into commercial equipment specifications, spare-parts strategies, and maintenance plans.
- Participate in design reviews, equipment installation, FAT, SAT, commissioning, and startup to identify maintainability risks and verify equipment readiness for sustained operation.
- Work with OEMs and project teams to resolve reliability, sealing, materials compatibility, access, and serviceability concerns before equipment turnover.
- Establish equipment baseline condition, maintenance documentation, PM content, special tools, and critical spares required for a disciplined handover to Operations and Maintenance.

Technical Support, Safety and Continuous Improvement

- Partner with Maintenance Managers and skilled trades on complex troubleshooting, precision installation, alignment, lubrication, inspection methods, and post-maintenance verification.
- Support mechanical integrity, equipment inspection, engineering change control, and safe maintenance practices for high-hazard manufacturing equipment and systems.
- Develop technical scopes and justifications for component upgrades, reliability modifications, and capital improvements that reduce downtime and lifecycle cost.

Responsibilities are representative and may change with business needs and the specific role.

## Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent technical education and substantial relevant industrial experience may be considered.
- 5+ of maintenance engineering, reliability engineering, or equipment engineering experience in an industrial manufacturing or process environment.
- Strong working knowledge of industrial machinery and manufacturing systems, including mechanical equipment, rotating assets, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, and automated production equipment.
- Demonstrated experience conducting detailed equipment failure investigations and implementing sustainable engineering solutions to recurring reliability problems.
- Practical knowledge of materials compatibility, industrial seals and gaskets, common component degradation mechanisms, and appropriate material selection for process service.
- Experience developing preventive maintenance content, equipment asset data, technical documentation, and CMMS maintenance plans, with strong field troubleshooting and cross-functional communication skills.
- Working knowledge of industrial maintenance safety, including LOTO, stored-energy hazards, and safe work practices around complex industrial equipment.

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

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience supporting pilot plants, greenfield facilities, major equipment installation, commissioning, or production ramp-up.
- Background in metals processing, chemical manufacturing, advanced materials, automotive, or other equipment-intensive manufacturing; experience with furnaces, vacuum systems, powder handling, or precision machinery is particularly relevant.
- Familiarity with RCM, condition monitoring, mechanical integrity programs, and reliability certifications such as CMRP or CRE.

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)

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