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Vulcan Elements manufactures American rare-earth permanent magnets for defense, aerospace, and automotive applications, with a focus on national security and economic resilience. The Materials Characterization Engineer will serve as a hands-on technical expert providing materials analysis support for rare-earth permanent magnet R&D and production.
Key responsibilities include:
- Defining characterization plans that answer engineering questions and support process development, quality investigations, and product qualification
- Performing and guiding characterization using optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, ICP-OES, combustion and inert gas fusion analysis, particle sizing, powder rheometry, XRD, and DSC
- Leading method development, validation, and transfer into routine testing, including defining preparation requirements, performance criteria, and documentation
- Establishing calibration and quality-control practices; assessing uncertainty, accuracy, and method limitations; resolving questionable results
- Reviewing reports, validation studies, and procedures within delegated scope; communicating defensible conclusions and recommendations
- Developing practical improvements to fixtures, sample handling, and test setups, coordinating specialized repairs or controls work with qualified personnel
- Promoting safe chemical and powder handling, data integrity, and traceability; supporting audits, technical nonconformance investigations, and corrective actions
This is a senior individual contributor role requiring technical mentorship capabilities and the ability to lead complex investigations and integrate evidence into actionable engineering recommendations.
REQUIREMENTS:
- B.S. or higher in materials science, materials engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, chemical engineering, or closely related technical discipline
- 3+ years of relevant industry experience in materials characterization, metallurgical analysis, analytical chemistry, or materials and processes engineering
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex investigations, integrate evidence, and develop actionable engineering recommendations
- Experience developing and validating test methods, evaluating measurement quality, and transferring methods into routine laboratory or production use
- Strong understanding of composition, microstructure, processing, and property relationships and the limitations of applicable test methods
- Demonstrated equipment troubleshooting and practical laboratory problem-solving skills, with experience following safe work and quality-system practices
- Ability to provide technical mentorship, review others' work, and communicate defensible conclusions to technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities
PREFERRED SKILLS:
- Deep hands-on expertise in metallurgy and microscopy or elemental analysis, with working knowledge of complementary methods for metallic materials
- Experience with rare-earth alloys, permanent magnets, powder metallurgy, sintering, or air-sensitive metal powders
- Proficiency spanning microscopy and analytical chemistry, including SEM/EDS, ICP-OES, LECO/ELTRA analyzers, XRD, powder characterization, or thermal analysis
- Experience with heat treatment, plating, protective coatings, corrosion evaluation, or fracture analysis
- Experience commissioning laboratory equipment, designing test fixtures, or improving laboratory workflows during manufacturing scale-up
- Familiarity with ASTM methods, statistical experimental design, measurement systems analysis, and AS9100 or ISO/IEC 17025 quality systems
