Manager, Metallization Operations

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 Integrity. 

This leader is hired before the metallization equipment is installed and is accountable for building the organization, shaping the operating design, commissioning and qualifying the process, and running it once it starts. The role will define the shift and staffing model, recruit and develop the operating team, provide hands-on operability input during design and equipment acceptance, lead startup from first metal through rate ramp, and then own safety, throughput, yield and recovery, quality, equipment performance and operating cost in steady state. 

This role begins in Durham, NC and is expected to move to Benson, NC upon completion of new facility. 

Responsibilities 

Startup, Commissioning and Process Qualification 

• Own Metallization Operations startup end to end - from design review and factory acceptance testing through installation, site acceptance, commissioning, process qualification and rate ramp. 
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Process Technology, Capital Execution, Automation & Digital Manufacturing, Maintenance and EHS on equipment configuration, layout, material flow, operator access, controls and instrumentation, sampling, maintainability, and off-gas/environmental systems; serve as the operations acceptance authority for equipment turnover. 
• Build the commissioning and training plan with technical teams and equipment suppliers, bringing supervisors and technicians into FAT, installation and startup early enough that the operating organization develops capability before turnover rather than after it. 
• Drive the ramp from first metal to stable full-rate operation, sequencing equipment and cell startup against the commissioning schedule and using operating data to close gaps in safety, yield, quality, availability and energy performance. 

Organization Design and Team Build 

• Design the Metallization Operations organization for continuous multi-shift operation: staffing model, span of control, supervisor and shift-lead structure, technician coverage, technical support interfaces and the daily floor leadership model. Build the headcount plan backward from commissioning and ramp needs. 
• Recruit, onboard and develop the team in phases; define technician roles, progression and cross-training requirements, qualification standards, shift handoff routines and frontline leadership expectations so the organization can safely own the process at turnover. 

Safe and Compliant Operations 

• Partner with EHS on job hazard analysis, pre-startup safety review and operating procedures for high-temperature process equipment, high-current electrical systems, molten salts and metal, fumes and gases, chemical handling, LOTO and upset conditions before equipment is energized. 
• Establish the environmental operating controls and shift routines required to keep air-emissions controls, waste streams, chemical handling, inspections, near-miss reporting and abnormal-condition response effective and compliant. 

Process Performance, OEE and Quality 

• Own the operating metrics for the area - throughput, yield and metal recovery, quality, availability/OEE, specific energy consumption and key consumable performance. Establish the measurement method, data capture and loss taxonomy before startup so the baseline is trustworthy. 
• Drive stable process control and product consistency in partnership with Process Engineering and Quality, including critical process parameters, chemistry and purity checks, sampling plans, statistical monitoring, material disposition and escalation limits. 
• Lead structured problem solving on the largest recurring losses in cell stability, yield, downtime, energy use and consumable life; partner with Maintenance and Engineering to convert startup lessons into reliability improvements and standard work. 

Operating Budget and Resource Management 

• Own the Metallization Operations operating expense budget: direct and indirect labor, electricity, process consumables, electrodes and cell materials, gases and chemicals, maintenance consumables, waste handling and operating supplies. 
• Build the area cost model and headcount plan through commissioning and ramp, and manage to it with clear monthly variance explanation, corrective action and updated resource forecasts. 
• Manage energy and process-consumable performance as controllable cost levers, including supplier strategy, inventory, consumption rates, useful life and cost per unit of metal produced. 

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

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or a related technical discipline. 
• Eight or more years in metallurgical, chemical/process or heavy industrial manufacturing, including five or more years leading production teams in a continuous or multi-shift operating environment. 
• Strong technical foundation in high-temperature metallurgical or process operations, with the ability to understand process chemistry, thermal and electrical systems, material and yield balances, process controls and the drivers of operating variation. 
• Demonstrated ownership of greenfield or major-expansion commissioning and process qualification - from design and equipment acceptance through installation, startup, operating stabilization and rate ramp. 
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop an operations organization, including workforce planning, hiring, technical training, operator qualification, standard work and frontline supervisor development. 
• Strong command of manufacturing quality systems and structured problem solving, including root-cause analysis, process capability/statistical control, KPI development and corrective action. 
• Direct accountability for safety and environmental performance in a heavy industrial or process environment, including LOTO, high-temperature hazards, electrical safety, chemical/gas handling and operating compliance. 
• Operating budget ownership with demonstrated cost control, and experience partnering with engineering teams on capital projects, automation or significant equipment upgrades. 

Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities. 

Preferred 

• Direct experience with rare earth metallization, molten-salt electrolysis, nonferrous reduction/refining or comparable electrochemical metal production. 
• Experience in steelmaking, melting and casting, or another high-temperature continuous metallurgical operation with strong transferability to startup and process control. 
• Greenfield plant startup experience with international equipment suppliers, factory acceptance testing, automation/robotics integration or major process-technology deployment. 
• Experience with environmental compliance and operating controls for metallurgical processes, including air-emissions systems, process waste streams and chemical management. 
• Experience deploying MES, historian/shop-floor data collection, advanced process monitoring or other digital manufacturing systems; Lean or Six Sigma experience is a plus. 

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.