Staff Mechanical Engineer

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 Staff Mechanical Engineer, you will contribute to the full lifecycle of a massive 1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion—focusing on the custom, in-house design and development of specialized machinery. You will be responsible for translating complex pilot-line processes into fully realized, custom-engineered production equipment. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role requiring deep mechanical and electrical design expertise.

Responsibilities

• Lead the ground-up mechanical and electrical design of custom, proprietary manufacturing equipment tailored to our unique magnet production needs.
• Work closely with local fabrication shops and machine shops to turn your digital designs into physical hardware. Source components, manage lead times, and oversee quality during the build process.
• Provide active, on-the-floor support during the assembly, wiring, and initial testing of designed equipment, quickly troubleshooting fitment or functional issues.
• Conduct rigorous stress analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fluid flow simulations (CFD) to ensure custom machinery can withstand aggressive industrial environments.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams (Process, Quality, and Operations) to gather feedback, conduct design reviews, and incorporate DFM principles to ensure equipment is easy to build, operate, and maintain.
• Ensure all custom-designed equipment complies with rigorous safety, environmental, and ergonomics standards before it hits the production floor.
• This position will require some interaction and local travel to fabrication shops to review builds and support equipment development (estimated at