Senior Metallurgical Engineer – Metallization and Scaling

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 Senior Metallurgical Engineer, you will be responsible for the production of metal, meeting specification, from oxides, as well as the process definition, continuous improvement, documentation, and scale – up of metallization processes.  

The ideal candidate is a hands-on subject matter expert in metallurgical reduction and melting processes, with experience translating fundamentals to repeatable, documented, and operable industrial processes. 
 
Responsibilities 

Lead the conversion of metal oxides to on-specification metals using thermal and chemical reduction routes. 

Continuous, data driven, process improvements, and translation of pilot-scale improvements to full production, prioritizing documentation and management of change. 

Author and maintain formal process documentation suitable for training and execution by operations teams. 

Partner with R&D, operations, quality, and EHS teams to ensure metallurgical processes are: 

• Safe 

• Scalable 

• Cost-effective 

• Environmentally compliant 

Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and technicians. 

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

Qualifications 

Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field 

5+ years of hands-on experience in metallurgical process development or production 
 
Strong working knowledge of: 

• High-temperature reactions and thermodynamics 

• Metal melting and solidification 

• Vacuum and controlled-atmosphere processing 

Proven experience creating clear, auditable, and operator-ready process documentation. 

Experience supporting pilot plant or early commercial operations. 

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

 
Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience with reactive or high-melting-point metals 

• Experience in startup or scale-up environments 

• Knowledge of quality systems (ISO, internal technical governance) 

• Ability to operate as a technical authority without excessive oversight