Staff Process Engineer
Vulcan Elements · Research Triangle Park
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 including defense, aerospace, and automotive. We are building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency.
As a Staff Process Engineer, you will serve as a technical leader responsible for developing, commissioning, qualifying, and scaling complex manufacturing processes from pilot-scale development into stable, repeatable high-volume production. This is a highly hands-on role. You will work directly on the manufacturing floor during equipment commissioning and production ramp, designing engineering trials, developing process recipes, establishing operating windows, solving complex process problems, and proving that manufacturing processes are statistically capable.
You will be expected to become the technical authority for assigned manufacturing processes, using data, experimentation, and fundamental engineering principles to drive decisions.
Core Responsibilities
- Develop equipment recipes, process parameters, operating windows, and production standards.
- Design and execute DoEs, analyze main effects/interactions, ANOVA, regression, and optimize critical process parameters.
- Support FAT/SAT, equipment startup, engineering trials, qualification runs, and production ramp.
- Perform Cp/Cpk, Pp/Ppk, SPC, control-chart, and process stability analysis.
- Lead MSA and Gage R&R studies to verify measurement repeatability and reproducibility.
- Develop and own Process Flows, PFMEA, Control Plans, BOP, Process Sheets, SOPs, Work Instructions, and Reaction Plans.
- Lead structured problem solving using 5-Why, Fishbone, Pareto, 8D, hypothesis testing, and statistical analysis.
- Improve FPY, scrap, rework, cycle time, OEE, throughput, and process capability.
- Identify CTQs and Critical Process Parameters (CPPs) and establish monitoring, control limits, sampling plans, and reaction plans.
- Mentor engineers and review DoEs, PFMEAs, capability studies, process specifications, and technical investigations.
Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical field with 7+ years of process/manufacturing engineering experience.
- Strong hands-on experience taking processes from development through commissioning, qualification, and high-volume production.
- Deep knowledge of DoE, SPC, MSA, Gage R&R, Cp/Cpk, Pp/Ppk, ANOVA, regression, and statistical process analysis.
- Strong experience developing PFMEAs, Control Plans, Process Flows, Process Specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
- Proven ability to troubleshoot complex equipment and process problems on the manufacturing floor.
- Experience with statistical tools such as Minitab or JMP preferred.
- Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt preferred.
- Experience in metallurgy, advanced materials, powder processing, high-temperature processing, automotive, aerospace, or other high-volume manufacturing preferred.
Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.
Good to Have / Preferred Skills
- Experience with Minitab, JMP, Python, MATLAB, or similar statistical/data-analysis tools.
- Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
- Experience with APQP, PPAP, Control Plans, MSA, and IATF 16949 methodologies.
- Experience with high-temperature processing, powder processing, metallurgy, vacuum processing, chemical processing, precision machining, or advanced materials.
- Experience developing automated process monitoring and SPC/MES dashboards.
- Familiarity with PLC/HMI systems and automated equipment parameter collection.
- Experience in highly regulated industries such as Defense, Aerospace (AS9100), Semiconductor, Medical Device, or Automotive (IATF 16949).
- Experience supporting greenfield factory launches and large-scale production ramps.
Travel
Some travel will be required to equipment suppliers for design reviews, engineering trials, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), and commissioning support.
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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