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Manufacturing Engineering Manager

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 Manufacturing Engineering Manager, you will lead a team of Manufacturing Engineers responsible for developing and industrializing manufacturing processes and equipment as Vulcan Elements scales production. You will lead the full lifecycle of manufacturing equipment and production systems from technology evaluation, equipment specification and vendor selection through equipment purchase, installation, commissioning, production startup, and ramp to full-scale manufacturing. 

This is a highly technical leadership role requiring a combination of manufacturing engineering expertise, capital equipment execution, project management, and people leadership. You will be expected to build and develop a strong engineering team while maintaining direct ownership of critical manufacturing and equipment decisions. 

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

Responsibilities 

  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of Manufacturing Engineers. Establish priorities, assign engineering ownership, remove technical roadblocks, and ensure successful execution against company milestones. 
  • Lead the evaluation and selection of manufacturing technologies required to scale production. Evaluate alternative process technologies based on capability, throughput, quality, reliability, automation, cost, and scalability. 
  • Lead equipment specifications, RFQs, technical evaluations, quote comparisons, vendor assessments, and equipment selection. Ensure selected equipment meets production capacity, quality, safety, reliability, and business requirements. 
  • Provide technical leadership throughout the equipment purchase lifecycle, including requirements definition, design reviews, vendor management, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), installation, Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), commissioning, and production qualification. 
  • Lead engineering activities associated with equipment installation and startup. Coordinate closely with vendors, facilities, operations, controls, maintenance, EHS, and quality teams to ensure equipment is safely and effectively brought into production. 
  • Lead manufacturing engineering support during production startup and ramp. Drive resolution of equipment and process issues, eliminate bottlenecks, and establish stable and repeatable manufacturing processes. 
  • Establish and improve manufacturing processes to increase throughput, yield, quality, equipment reliability, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Use data, cycle-time analysis, and structured problem-solving to drive continuous improvement. 
  • Manage engineering schedules, capital equipment milestones, technical risks, budgets, vendor deliverables, and resource allocation across multiple manufacturing projects. 
  • Ensure the engineering team develops and maintains robust manufacturing documentation including process flows, Bills of Process (BOP), line layouts, cycle-time analyses, PFMEAs, Control Plans, work instructions, process specifications, and equipment documentation. 
  • Partner closely with R&D, Operations, Quality, EHS, Supply Chain, Facilities, Controls, Maintenance, and other engineering teams to transition processes from development into scalable manufacturing systems. 
  • Work with R&D and manufacturing teams to identify and develop new manufacturing technologies, automation strategies, and equipment concepts for future production lines. 
  • Support recruiting, onboarding, mentoring, performance development, and technical capability building within the Manufacturing Engineering organization. 
  • Travel to equipment suppliers for technical reviews, design reviews, Factory Acceptance Testing, and other equipment-development activities as required. 

Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change based on the needs of the business. 

Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s or Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. 
  • 7+ years of manufacturing engineering, equipment engineering, industrialization, or related experience in a manufacturing environment. 
  • Demonstrated experience specifying, purchasing, installing, commissioning, and launching complex manufacturing equipment or production systems. 
  • Strong experience evaluating manufacturing technologies and translating production requirements into equipment and process specifications. 
  • Experience managing equipment suppliers, technical schedules, equipment design reviews, FATs, installation, commissioning, and production qualification. 
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing engineering fundamentals including process capability, cycle time, throughput, yield, OEE, PFMEA, Control Plans, process flows, and structured problem-solving. 
  • Ability to manage multiple technically complex projects simultaneously while balancing schedule, cost, quality, safety, and production requirements. 
  • Strong technical judgment with the ability to make equipment and process decisions using incomplete information and rapidly changing requirements. 
  • Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to work effectively with engineering, operations, suppliers, and senior leadership. 
  • Willingness to work hands-on with the engineering team and equipment suppliers during installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and production ramp. 

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

Preferred Qualifications 

  • 1–2+ years of experience leading, supervising, or formally managing an engineering team. 
  • Experience leading or mentoring manufacturing engineers through major equipment installation, commissioning, and production-launch programs. 
  • Experience in a high-volume production environment, particularly where equipment uptime, cycle time, yield, automation, and process capability are critical. 
  • Experience with highly automated manufacturing systems, robotics, CNC machining, material processing, powder processing, thermal processing, inspection, packaging, or other complex production equipment. 
  • Experience scaling processes from pilot or development environments into full-rate production. 
  • Experience with MES, manufacturing data systems, equipment connectivity, and automated production systems. 
  • Experience with manufacturing simulation, capacity modeling, line balancing, or factory-layout development. 
  • Experience in rare-earth magnets, advanced materials, automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, battery, medical device, or other high-volume advanced manufacturing environments is a plus. 

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.

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