Controls Engineer

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 Transparency. 

As the Controls Engineer you will own controls execution for the finishing equipment portfolio  within a massive 1 million square foot manufacturing facility expansion. You will own your equipment packages cradle-to-grave: design review, FAT witness, site commissioning, and sustaining support. This is a high-impact, high-ownership role requiring technical expertise in industrial automation and industrial robotics. The role includes hands-on implementation and travel to OEM factory acceptance tests, domestic and international, up to ~50% during test campaigns, and transitions from Durham, NC to the Benson, NC facility as commissioning begins. 

Responsibilities 

• Lead hands-on programming, debugging, and commissioning of Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, Siemens, and other industrial control hardware. Apply internal standards across grinding, wire saw, EDM, tumbling, coating, magnetization, and in-line inspection equipment. 
• Own the integration and commissioning of robot cells(Fanuc, ABB, Kuka) - cell layout review, end-of-arm tooling, PLC-to-robot handshaking, machine vision, and coordinated motion with indexing conveyors, rotary tables, and servo feed systems. 
• Execute task-based risk assessments to ISO 10218-1/-2, ISO/TS 15066, and ANSI/RIA R15.06; specify and validate safety functions — safe soft limits and zone monitoring, enabling devices, guard interlocks, and safety-rated stops — and demonstrate each one at Factory Acceptance Test rather than discovering it on site. 
• Configure and maintain communications between PLCs, robots, CNC-class machine controls, and the site SCADA/MES layer, including tag mapping, alarming, and data acquisition. 
• Review vendor electrical schematics, controls architectures, robot programs, and PLC/HMI logic. Lead controls Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) and Site Acceptance Tests (SATs) to ensure full compliance with functional and safety requirements. 
• Integrate dimensional and defect inspection, profilometry, and analytical test instrumentation into cell control and the plant data layer - measurement-to-reject interlocks, SPC data flow, and the disposition logic. 
• Serve as the first-line, hands-on responder for diagnosing complex automation issues involving robots, networks, motion systems, instrumentation, and industrial communication protocols - on both the new facility and the running pilot.