---
title: 'Staff Production Control Engineering Analyst at Vulcan Elements'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-production-control-engineering-analyst-vulcan-elements-benson-ar3f3045a3cb'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-01'
---

# Staff Production Control Engineering Analyst at Vulcan Elements

- **Company:** Vulcan Elements
- **Location:** Benson, NC
- **Posted:** 2026-10-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-01
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5459260008

## 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.

This Staff Production Control Engineering Analyst is a greenfield build role with the opportunity to define how material is controlled and moves across the plant - from receiving and inventory through line-side replenishment, WIP, inter-area transfers, finished goods, and shipping. The successful candidate will combine industrial engineering, production control, and manufacturing systems capability to establish the operating backbone for Production Control, connect it effectively with Supply Chain and Production, and continuously improve flow as the factory ramps.

## Responsibilities

Greenfield Production Control System Design

- Design and stand up the core Production Control workflows for receiving, warehousing, inventory control, line-side replenishment, WIP, inter-area material movement, finished-goods staging, and shipping.
- Define the physical material-flow model for the plant, including warehouse and staging layouts, point-of-use locations, supermarkets and buffers, replenishment routes, material-handling methods, and space/capacity requirements.
- Establish the production-control data structure and transaction logic across ERP, MES, WMS, and related systems, including location hierarchy, material status, lot/traceability requirements, labeling, inventory movements, and shop-floor transactions.
- Develop the standard work, visual controls, escalation paths, operating routines, and performance measures required for Production Control teams to execute consistently across shifts and manufacturing areas.

Startup, Production Enablement and Cross-Functional Execution

- Translate production schedules and Supply Chain plans into executable material-readiness requirements: what material is needed, where it must be, when it must arrive, and how it will be staged and replenished to production.
- Partner with Supply Chain, Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Automation, and other plant functions to establish end-to-end material and information flows that support safe, efficient, and traceable production.
- Support commissioning and production startup by validating area-by-area material routes, storage and staging capacity, system transactions, labels, scanning, inventory controls, and operator/Production Control handoffs before turnover.
- Identify and resolve shortages, flow constraints, excess WIP, congestion, inventory inaccuracies, and other conditions that can limit production; provide the Sr. Manager with clear analysis and recommended actions.

Analytics, Capacity and Continuous Improvement

- Build the analytical models and operating visibility for WIP, inventory, material availability, dwell time, storage capacity, labor and material-handling requirements, production attainment, and internal-logistics performance.
- Develop capacity and scenario models to support production ramp, product-mix changes, new lines, layout changes, staffing decisions, and future expansion of Production Control capabilities.
- Use production and logistics data to identify constraints and recurring losses, then lead focused improvements that reduce travel, waiting, handling, excess inventory, and material-flow variability.
- Continuously strengthen the Production Control operating system as the plant matures, converting startup learning into scalable workflows, data standards, layouts, and management practices for future lines and facilities.

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

## Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Research, or a closely related technical discipline.
- 5+ of experience in production control, industrial engineering, manufacturing logistics, supply chain execution, or a similar factory-facing engineering/analytical role.
- Demonstrated experience designing or improving material-flow systems, production-control workflows, inventory/WIP controls, warehouse or line-side layouts, or manufacturing-system transactions in a complex production environment.
- Strong analytical and systems capability, including advanced Excel and experience with ERP, MES, WMS, BI, SQL, or comparable manufacturing-data tools.
- Ability to work effectively from shop-floor detail through leadership-level analysis, with strong cross-functional communication, structured problem solving, and practical execution discipline.

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

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience helping establish or scale production control, plant logistics, or materials-management systems in a greenfield manufacturing startup, commissioning program, or major expansion.
- Experience in advanced materials, metals, automotive, aerospace, battery, semiconductor, precision machining, chemical/process manufacturing, or another complex manufacturing environment.
- Working knowledge of Lean material flow, pull/replenishment systems, capacity modeling, inventory control, traceability, and structured continuous improvement.

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

- [Security & Emergency Services Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/security-emergency-services-manager-vulcan-elements-benson-kqjnfejc4mtg) — Benson, NC
- [Maintenance Technician (R&D)](https://feeny.ai/job/maintenance-technician-r-d-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-vmbqxjwqqd14) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Senior Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-design-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-7d4bmba9bfcw) — Research Triangle Park, NC
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- [Materials Characterization Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/materials-characterization-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-kxxg1teeyjgm) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Manufacturing Instructor](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-instructor-vulcan-elements-benson-7wex3veqf7b5) — Benson, NC
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- [Maintenance Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/maintenance-manager-vulcan-elements-benson-16xbaat3zj0e) — Benson, NC