{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"ddb98ea6eaee3971e61fd747","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ddb98ea6eaee3971e61fd747","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ddb98ea6eaee3971e61fd747","title":"R&D Materials & Process Engineer","description":"R&D Materials & Process EngineerResearch Triangle Park, NCVulcan 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. We are seeking a driven R&D Materials & Process Engineer specializing in rare-earth permanent magnet fabrication. In this role, you will lead the practical process development, optimization, and scale-up of sintered NdFeB (Neodymium Iron Boron) magnet manufacturing. You will focus heavily on refining the end-to-end powder metallurgy pipeline—from alloy melting through powder preparation, alignment, sintering, and heat treatment. You will act as the bridge between metallurgical research and full-scale factory execution, establishing robust processing windows, driving yield improvements, and translating laboratory innovations into scalable manufacturing operations.Responsibilities:Design and refine core processing steps, including Strip Casting, Hydrogen Decrepitation, Jet Milling & press parameters as they relate to process throughput, yield, downstream processing and final magnetic properties.Develop and fine-tune vacuum sintering profiles/thermal cycles as they relate to microstructural features and final magnetic performance.Design of Experiments for improvement in magnetic performance, process throughput and yield, and cost improvement.Conduct root-cause failure analysis (RCA) to eliminate processing defectsSupport the scaling up of validated experimental processes from lab/pilot-scale equipment to full commercial production linesCollaborate closely with production and equipment engineering teams to modify existing tooling or specify requirements for next-generation processing equipment.Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the businessQualifications:Education: Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, or Process Engineering.Experience: 3+ years of direct experience in process engineering or industrial R&D environmentDeep practical knowledge of powder metallurgy, vacuum thermal processing, and metal powder pressing.Hands-on experience operating, troubleshooting, or optimizing industrial processing equipment.Strong proficiency with magnetic testing systems (Hysteresisgraph, Pulsed Field Magnetometry) and material characterization tools (SEM/EDS, XRD, particle size analyzers).Proven track record applying DOE, Six Sigma methodologies, and statistical tools (e.g. Python, or JMP) for data analysis. Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.Preferred Skills:Direct experience with sintered NdFeB magnet manufacturing or designDirect experience with inert gas handling systems, oxygen-controlled environments, and powder oxidation prevention techniques.Experience with automated material handling or pressing tooling design for high-volume magnet manufacturing.","company":"Vulcan Elements","rawCompany":"vulcan elements","city":"Durham","state":"NC","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-10-16T13:27:08.236Z","occupations":[{"code":"17-2131.00","title":"Materials Engineers","slug":"materials-engineers"},{"code":"19-2032.00","title":"Materials Scientists","slug":"materials-scientists"},{"code":"17-2112.03","title":"Manufacturing Engineers","slug":"manufacturing-engineers"}],"industries":[{"code":"541715","title":"Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)","slug":"research-and-development-in-the-physical-engineering-and-life-sciences-except-nanotechnology-and-biotechnology"},{"code":"541713","title":"Research and Development in Nanotechnology","slug":"research-and-development-in-nanotechnology"},{"code":"332117","title":"Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing","slug":"powder-metallurgy-part-manufacturing"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"R&D Materials & Process Engineer","description":"R&D Materials & Process EngineerResearch Triangle Park, NCVulcan 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. We are seeking a driven R&D Materials & Process Engineer specializing in rare-earth permanent magnet fabrication. In this role, you will lead the practical process development, optimization, and scale-up of sintered NdFeB (Neodymium Iron Boron) magnet manufacturing. You will focus heavily on refining the end-to-end powder metallurgy pipeline—from alloy melting through powder preparation, alignment, sintering, and heat treatment. You will act as the bridge between metallurgical research and full-scale factory execution, establishing robust processing windows, driving yield improvements, and translating laboratory innovations into scalable manufacturing operations.Responsibilities:Design and refine core processing steps, including Strip Casting, Hydrogen Decrepitation, Jet Milling & press parameters as they relate to process throughput, yield, downstream processing and final magnetic properties.Develop and fine-tune vacuum sintering profiles/thermal cycles as they relate to microstructural features and final magnetic performance.Design of Experiments for improvement in magnetic performance, process throughput and yield, and cost improvement.Conduct root-cause failure analysis (RCA) to eliminate processing defectsSupport the scaling up of validated experimental processes from lab/pilot-scale equipment to full commercial production linesCollaborate closely with production and equipment engineering teams to modify existing tooling or specify requirements for next-generation processing equipment.Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the businessQualifications:Education: Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, or Process Engineering.Experience: 3+ years of direct experience in process engineering or industrial R&D environmentDeep practical knowledge of powder metallurgy, vacuum thermal processing, and metal powder pressing.Hands-on experience operating, troubleshooting, or optimizing industrial processing equipment.Strong proficiency with magnetic testing systems (Hysteresisgraph, Pulsed Field Magnetometry) and material characterization tools (SEM/EDS, XRD, particle size analyzers).Proven track record applying DOE, Six Sigma methodologies, and statistical tools (e.g. Python, or JMP) for data analysis. Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.Preferred Skills:Direct experience with sintered NdFeB magnet manufacturing or designDirect experience with inert gas handling systems, oxygen-controlled environments, and powder oxidation prevention techniques.Experience with automated material handling or pressing tooling design for high-volume magnet manufacturing.","datePosted":"2026-10-16T13:27:08.236Z","dateModified":"2026-10-16T13:27:08.236Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Vulcan Elements","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Durham","addressRegion":"NC","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"ddb98ea6eaee3971e61fd747"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ddb98ea6eaee3971e61fd747"}}