---
title: 'Staff Mechanical Engineer at Vulcan Elements'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-mechanical-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-yka35q0306zs'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Staff Mechanical Engineer at Vulcan Elements

- **Company:** Vulcan Elements
- **Location:** Research Triangle Park, NC
- **Posted:** 2026-08-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5383478008

## 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 Staff Mechanical Engineer, you will contribute to the full lifecycle of a massive 1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion—focusing on the custom, in-house design and development of specialized machinery. You will be responsible for translating complex pilot-line processes into fully realized, custom-engineered production equipment. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role requiring deep mechanical and electrical design expertise.

## Responsibilities

- Lead the ground-up mechanical and electrical design of custom, proprietary manufacturing equipment tailored to our unique magnet production needs.
- Work closely with local fabrication shops and machine shops to turn your digital designs into physical hardware. Source components, manage lead times, and oversee quality during the build process.
- Provide active, on-the-floor support during the assembly, wiring, and initial testing of designed equipment, quickly troubleshooting fitment or functional issues.
- Conduct rigorous stress analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fluid flow simulations (CFD) to ensure custom machinery can withstand aggressive industrial environments.
- Work closely with cross-functional teams (Process, Quality, and Operations) to gather feedback, conduct design reviews, and incorporate DFM principles to ensure equipment is easy to build, operate, and maintain.
- Ensure all custom-designed equipment complies with rigorous safety, environmental, and ergonomics standards before it hits the production floor.
- This position will require some interaction and local travel to fabrication shops to review builds and support equipment development (estimated at <10% travel).

You will also be responsible for developing, reviewing, or managing the following deliverables:

- Detailed 2D manufacturing drawings, complex 3D CAD assemblies, Electrical Drawings, Pneumatic Drawings, and highly accurate tolerance stack-up analyses.
- Stress Analysis reports, Thermal Analysis models, Fluid Flow simulations, and core Electrical & Pneumatic Calculations.
- Risk Assessments, Ergonomic Assessments, and equipment-level PFMEA inputs.
- Detailed Bills of Materials (BOM), Spare Parts Lists, and drafting technical inputs for Maintenance Manuals and Calibration Procedures.
- Direct inputs to Line Layouts and Station Cycle Times based on physical machine constraints.

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, Mechatronics, or a related technical discipline with 7+ years of experience OR a Master’s degree with 5+ years of experience.
- Expert-level experience creating and validating highly complex equipment assemblies in CAD (e.g., SolidWorks, Inventor). Proven ability to create flawless, detailed 2D manufacturing drawings with proper GD&T.
- Proven experience leading equipment design on both the mechanical side (frames, mechanisms, actuators) and electrical side (panel layouts, basic schematics, sensor integration).
- Direct hands-on experience performing stress, thermal, and fluid flow simulations to validate custom designs before physical production.
- Direct experience working with external fabrication shops, specifying weldments, finishes, and holding vendors accountable to tight engineering tolerances.

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

Desired Skills

- Experience specifically in heavy industrial manufacturing equipment, high-vacuum systems, or high-temperature processing equipment.
- Hands-on manual machining or welding experience (understanding what it takes to actually build the parts you draw).
- Familiarity with motion control hardware, servos, and basic PLC integration.
- Experience in highly regulated industries such as Defense (DoD), Aerospace (AS9100), or Automotive (IATF 16949).

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

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- [Senior Accountant](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-accountant-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-hwssnebttjmj) — Research Triangle Park, NC
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- [Sr. Manager, Operational Excellence](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-manager-operational-excellence-vulcan-elements-benson-y4aw80sbt401) — Benson, NC
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- [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
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