{"id":3110617,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer","title":"Materials Characterization Engineer","company":{"id":8041,"name":"Vulcan Elements","domain":"vulcanelements.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vulcanelements","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":91,"open_postings":6,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.167,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":71,"computed_at":"2026-10-23T05:54:15Z"}},"role":"Semiconductors","role_family":"Semiconductors","seniority":"middle","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Durham, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AS9100","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-22T18:33:10Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-22","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T03:12:16Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"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.\nAbout the Role\nWe are seeking a Materials Characterization Engineer to provide technical expertise for materials analysis supporting rare-earth permanent magnet R&D and production. As a hands-on individual contributor, you will lead complex investigations, integrate analytical findings into production and R&D plans, and develop reliable testing capabilities in partnership with the laboratory and engineering teams.\nResponsibilities\nDefine characterization plans that answer engineering questions and support process development, quality investigations, and product qualification.\nPerform and guide characterization within areas of expertise, using optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, ICP-OES, combustion and inert gas fusion analysis, particle sizing, powder rheometry, XRD, or DSC.\nLead method development, validation, and transfer into routine testing, defining preparation requirements, performance criteria, and documentation.\nEstablish calibration and quality-control practices; assess uncertainty, accuracy, and method limitations, and resolve questionable results.\nReview reports, validation studies, and procedures within delegated scope; communicate defensible conclusions and recommendations.\nDevelop practical improvements to fixtures, sample handling, and test setups, coordinating specialized repairs or controls work with qualified personnel.\nPromote safe chemical and powder handling, data integrity, and traceability; support audits, technical nonconformance investigations, and corrective actions.\nResponsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business.\nQualifications\nB.S. or higher in materials science, materials engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.\n3+ years of relevant industry experience in materials characterization, metallurgical analysis, analytical chemistry, or materials and processes engineering.\nDemonstrated ability to lead complex investigations, integrate evidence, and develop actionable engineering recommendations.\nExperience developing and validating test methods, evaluating measurement quality, and transferring methods into routine laboratory or production use.\nStrong understanding of composition, microstructure, processing, and property relationships and the limitations of applicable test methods.\nDemonstrated equipment troubleshooting and practical laboratory problem-solving skills, with experience following safe work and quality-system practices.\nAbility to provide technical mentorship, review others' work, and communicate defensible conclusions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.\nMust be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.\nPreferred Skills\nDeep hands-on expertise in metallurgy and microscopy or elemental analysis, with working knowledge of complementary methods for metallic materials.\nExperience with rare-earth alloys, permanent magnets, powder metallurgy, sintering, or air-sensitive metal powders.\nProficiency spanning microscopy and analytical chemistry, including SEM/EDS, ICP-OES, LECO/ELTRA analyzers, XRD, powder characterization, or thermal analysis.\nExperience with heat treatment, plating, protective coatings, corrosion evaluation, or fracture analysis.\nExperience commissioning laboratory equipment, designing test fixtures, or improving laboratory workflows during manufacturing scale-up.\nFamiliarity with ASTM methods, statistical experimental design, measurement systems analysis, and AS9100 or ISO/IEC 17025 quality systems.\nLaboratory Safety and PPE Requirements \nThis position requires strict adherence to laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines. Employees must consistently wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including lab coats, safety glasses, gloves, and any additional gear required for specific procedures or chemical handling. The role involves working with potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and processes, and team members must follow all established safety rules, maintain a clean and compliant work area, and promptly report any unsafe conditions. The individual must be able to complete required training, apply proper safety practices, and demonstrate a strong commitment to maintaining a safe laboratory environment.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4727,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Advanced Materials","Metals & Metallurgy","Rare Earth Metals"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-22T20:35:43Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 1","filings_12m":1,"filings_prev_12m":0,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":232500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":71,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-23T05:54:15Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-24T03:17:06Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":5133,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-25T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8041},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8041"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvulcan-elements-materials-characterization-engineer"}]}