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Senior Industrial Engineer

Research Triangle Park, NC

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 Industrial Engineer, you will contribute to the full lifecycle of a massive 1.1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion—focusing on the master layout, capacity planning, and total factory flow. You will be the primary thread connecting all departments, understanding their technical needs to optimize the physical and operational footprint. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role requiring deep analytical expertise and a proven history of setting up greenfield factories.

 

Responsibilities

  • Master Factory Layout & Space Allocation: Own the complete facility layout and space allocation across the 1.1M sqft footprint. Optimize the placement of production lines, raw material storage, shipping/receiving, and support infrastructure for optimal workflow.
  • Capacity & Cycle Time Analysis: Conduct deep-dive capacity analyses and equipment cycle time studies to identify bottlenecks, calculate overall factory throughput, and ensure the site meets its aggressive scaling targets.
  • Material Handling & Flow Simulation: Design the overall Plan for Every Part (PFEP) and internal material logistics. Run discrete-event simulations to model material movement, AGV traffic, forklift operations, and operator walk paths across the factory.
  • Line Balancing & Lean Tools: Create and maintain Yamazumi charts (operator workload balancing), line balance tables, and value stream maps to eliminate non-value-added time and optimize human-machine interactions.
  • Headcount & Direct/Indirect Labor Estimates: Develop data-driven headcount models for various production volumes, calculating both direct labor and indirect support staff requirements as the plant scales.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as the central industrial engineering hub for the company—partnering directly with Process, Equipment, Quality, and Operations teams to understand and incorporate their specific spatial and utility needs into the master plan.
  • Continuous Improvement Culture: Lay the groundwork for 5S, visual management, and continuous improvement (Kaizen) frameworks before mass production begins.

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

  • Process Design: Line Layouts (AutoCAD/FactoryCAD), Bill of Process (BOP), Station Cycle Times, Yamazumi Charts, and Material Flow Simulations.
  • Risk & Safety: Ergonomic Assessments, Egress/Aisle Safety planning, and workflow PFMEA inputs.
  • Quality & Control: Input on standard work combinations, quality check visual management, and station checklists.
  • Operations & Maintenance: Staffing plans, work measurement standards, operator standard work instructions, and space allocation matrices.

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

Qualifications

  • Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline with 5+ years of experience OR a Master’s degree with 3+ years of experience.
  • Greenfield Factory Setup: Proven, hands-on experience actively setting up a new, large-scale manufacturing facility from the ground up from an Industrial Engineering standpoint. Must be able to share high-level examples of successful scaling projects.
  • IE Tool Proficiency: Expert capability in developing Yamazumi charts, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), line balancing, and calculating takt times vs. cycle times.
  • Simulation & CAD Mastery: Direct experience using advanced discrete-event simulation software (e.g., FlexSim, Arena, Simio) to model complex factory flows, alongside proficiency in AutoCAD for massive spatial layouts.
  • Data-Driven Problem Solving: Strong background using statistical analysis to calculate machine standard minutes, operator efficiency, and equipment utilization rates.

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

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience specifically in massive-scale facilities, heavy industrial manufacturing, or automotive/aerospace gigafactories.
  • Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or heavy lean manufacturing training.
  • Familiarity with racking systems, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), and specialized chemical or hazardous material storage regulations.
  • Experience in highly regulated industries such as Defense (DoD), Aerospace (AS9100), or Automotive (IATF 16949).

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