Staff Mechanical Engineer

About the role

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure, resilient future, serving critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive. As a Staff Mechanical Engineer, you will contribute to the full lifecycle of a 1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion, focusing on the custom, in-house design and development of specialized machinery. This high-impact, high-ownership role requires deep mechanical and electrical design expertise to translate complex pilot-line processes into fully realized, custom-engineered production equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the ground-up mechanical and electrical design of custom, proprietary manufacturing equipment tailored to unique magnet production needs.
• Work closely with local fabrication shops and machine shops to turn digital designs into physical hardware.
• Source components, manage lead times, and oversee quality during the build process.
• Provide active, on-the-floor support during assembly, wiring, and initial testing of designed equipment, troubleshooting fitment or functional issues.
• Conduct rigorous stress analysis (FEA), thermal analysis, and fluid flow simulations (CFD) to ensure custom machinery withstands aggressive industrial environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Process, Quality, and Operations) to gather feedback, conduct design reviews, and incorporate DFM principles for equipment that is easy to build, operate, and maintain.
• Ensure all custom-designed equipment complies with rigorous safety, environmental, and ergonomics standards before production deployment.
• Develop, review, or manage deliverables including:
  • Detailed 2D manufacturing drawings and complex 3D CAD assemblies.
  • Electrical and pneumatic drawings, and highly accurate tolerance stack-up analyses.
  • Stress analysis reports, thermal analysis models, and fluid flow simulations.
  • Core electrical and pneumatic calculations.
  • Risk assessments, ergonomic assessments, and equipment-level PFMEA inputs.
  • Detailed Bills of Materials (BOM), spare parts lists, and technical inputs for maintenance manuals and calibration procedures.
  • Direct inputs to line layouts and station cycle times based on physical machine constraints.
• Occasional local travel to fabrication shops to review builds and support equipment development (estimated at <10% travel).

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

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical discipline with 7+ years of experience OR a Master’s degree with 5+ years of experience.
• Expert-level experience creating and validating highly complex equipment assemblies in CAD (e.g., SolidWorks, Inventor).
• Proven ability to create flawless, detailed 2D manufacturing drawings with proper GD&T.
• Proven experience leading equipment design on both the mechanical side (frames, mechanisms, actuators) and electrical side (panel layouts, basic schematics, sensor integration).
• Direct hands-on experience performing stress, thermal, and fluid flow simulations to validate custom designs before physical production.
• Direct experience working with external fabrication shops, specifying weldments, finishes, and holding vendors accountable to tight engineering tolerances.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Skills

• Experience specifically in heavy industrial manufacturing equipment, high-vacuum systems, or high-temperature processing equipment.
• Hands-on manual machining or welding experience (understanding practical build requirements).
• Familiarity with motion control hardware, servos, and basic PLC integration.
• Experience in highly regulated industries such as Defense (DoD), Aerospace (AS9100), or Automotive (IATF 16949).

Physical and Environmental Requirements

• Regular presence on the production floor, with the ability to navigate all areas of the facility.
• Ability to climb stairs, stand, and walk for extended periods.
• Work in environments that may be hot, humid, or noisy.
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including respirators, and adherence to all applicable safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to complete required fit testing, wear appropriate PPE for the duration of assigned tasks, and respond safely to changing conditions within the production environment.