Back to jobs
New

Controls 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 the Controls Engineer you will own controls execution for the magnet equipment portfolio within a massive 1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion. You will own your equipment packages cradle-to-grave - design review, FAT witness, site commissioning, and sustaining support This is a high-impact, high-ownership leadership role requiring technical expertise in industrial automation. The role includes hands-on implementation and domestic travel to OEM FATs up to ~50% during test campaigns. 

This role begins in Durham, NC and is expected to move to Benson, NC upon completion of new facility. 

Responsibilities 

  • PLC Programming & Commissioning: Execute hands-on programming, debugging, and commissioning of Siemens and AllenBradley/Rockwell PLCs and HMIs for new and existing automation equipment. 
  • Advanced Automation & System Integration: Drive the integration and commissioning of robotics, conveyors, and motion control systems - including servos and VFDs - to enable seamless material flow and high reliability production operations. 
  • SCADA/MES Connectivity: Configure and maintain communications between PLCs/HMIs and SCADA/Batch systems. Support tag mapping, alarming, and data acquisition to the site SCADA platform as required. 
  • Vendor Technical Support & FATs: Review vendor electrical schematics, controls architectures, and PLC/HMI logic. Participate in and support Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and Site Acceptance Tests (SATs) to ensure full compliance with functional and safety requirements. 
  • Troubleshooting & Technical Escalation: Serve as the first-line, hands-on responder for diagnosing complex automation issues involving networks, motion systems, instrumentation, and industrial communication protocols. 

Deliverables You Will Develop, Review, or Support 

  • Controls & IT: PLC code architecture, HMI screens, vision inspection programs, tag databases, network lists, and system backups. 
  • Risk & Safety: Controls risk assessments, interlock/guarding logic, and safety rated PFMEA inputs. 
  • Process Design: Controls layouts, network topology layouts, station cycle times, sequence diagrams, and automation simulations. 
  • Engineering Diagrams: Electrical schematics, pneumatic drawings, controls panel layouts, and industrial network architecture. 
  • Operations & Maintenance: Calibration procedures, I/O lists, instrumentation documentation, and controls hardware maintenance manuals.

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

Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s or Masters degree in electrical engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field with 3+ years of direct industrial automation and controls engineering experience. 
  • Strong hands on experience programming and commissioning Siemens and AllenBradley/Rockwell PLCs and HMIs. 
  • Deep understanding of servos, VFDs, highspeed conveyors, robotic cells, and automated material handling systems. 
  • Proficiency with Ethernet/IP, Profinet, EtherCAT, OPCUA, and similar industrial communication standards.  
  • Analog loop fundamentals, gas analyzer integration (O₂, pressure, flow), loop tuning, and the literacy to read and validate safety-rated circuits and safety PLC  

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

Preferred Skills 

  • Working experience with multiaxis robotic systems and machine vision platforms such as Cognex or Keyence. AGV experience is a strong plus. 
  • Experience in heavy industrial, greenfield, chemical, or metallurgical manufacturing environments. 
  • Experience developing SCADA applications in Ignition, Wonderware, or similar platforms. 
  • Powder or bulk-solids handling controls (pneumatic conveying, gravimetric dosing, milling), hazardous-atmosphere or reactive-material environments (combustible dust, inert-gas blanketing, hydrogen service), or furnace/vacuum/thermal process controls. 
  • Familiarity with Python, C++, or other high level languages for automation or data analytics. 
  • Experience in regulated industries such as Defense, Aerospace, or Automotive. 

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Vulcan Elements? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Phone
Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf


Education

Select...

Select...

This position requires access to information and technology that is subject to US Export Control. Vulcan Elements will use this information to determine if you are eligible to receive this information under US Law. 

Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Vulcan Elements’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.