Full-Time
Machining Site Lead
Updated on 9/3/2026
Vulcan Elements
51-200 employees
Manufactures NdFeB magnets for defense, EVs
No salary listed
No H1B Sponsorship
Benson, NC, USA
Hybrid
The role begins in Four Oaks and is expected to move to Benson; some travel to Durham is expected.
US Citizenship Required
Bachelor's
 Manufacturing & Production Operations |
|---|
Get referred to Vulcan Elements
See people who can refer or advise you
- A bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, or Materials Science, or equivalent hands-on experience.
- Hands-on experience operating precision machining or grinding operations.
- At least 3 years of experience with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing software.
- Familiarity with G and M code.
- Familiarity with analog and digital inspection and measurement tools.
- Ability to read and generate technical drawings.
- Demonstrated experience managing precision machining or grinding operations, including supervising a team.
- Strong understanding of operational safety in machining environments, including dust, coolant, and electrically energized electrical discharge machining systems.
- Working knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, blueprint reading, and dimensional metrology, including micrometers, coordinate measuring machines, and surface-finish measurement.
- Experience developing or maintaining standard operating procedures and operational documentation.
- Direct experience with wire saws or precision sawing; linear, surface, or 5-axis grinding; or wire or sinker electrical discharge machining.
- Experience machining or grinding hard, brittle materials such as rare-earth magnets, ceramics, carbide, or similar sintered materials.
- Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.
- Ability to work regularly on the production floor and navigate all areas of the facility.
- Ability to climb stairs and stand and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to work in environments that may be hot, humid, or noisy.
- Ability to recognize and avoid sharp edges, moving parts, and other potential sources of injury.
- Ability to use required personal protective equipment, including respirators, and comply with safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
- Ability to complete required respirator fit testing and wear appropriate personal protective equipment for assigned tasks.
- Maintain and operate CNC equipment, including wire electrical discharge machining equipment, grinders, mills, lathes, wire saws, and lasers.
- Lead, train, and manage a team of machinists and operators conducting magnet finishing.
- Plan and execute production runs across wire saws, linear grinders, 5-axis grinders, and electrical discharge machining equipment to meet quality, throughput, and schedule objectives.
- Process test samples and parts to internal and external specifications.
- Maintain a clean, safe, and organized working environment.
- Create, document, and refine processing parameters for a variety of materials.
- Perform first-article and test inspections on processed parts.
- Design and implement custom workholding solutions.
- Collaborate with engineers and technicians to establish scheduling and processing plans.
- Maintain spare-parts and consumables inventory.
- Establish standard operating procedures for workholding and equipment operation.
- Allocate personnel, equipment, and materials to support production and development campaigns.
- Enforce safety procedures, personal protective equipment requirements, and lockout/tagout practices.
- Experience creating custom G-code postprocessors.
- Experience with multiaxis grinding.
- Experience with laser cutters, waterjets, wire and sinker electrical discharge machining equipment, and diamond wire saws.
- Experience with die and toolmaking.
- Experience with automated part loading.
- Experience estimating cost and lead time for quoting new and repeat work.
Vulcan Elements makes high-performance NdFeB magnets in the United States to secure a domestic supply of magnetics. Its core product is sintered NdFeB magnets used in electric motors for electric vehicles, defense, aerospace, wind turbines, and other technologies. The company sources all materials and equipment from the U.S. or allied nations to ensure traceability and national security. Its goal is to scale from pilot production to hundreds, then thousands of metric tons per year, reshoring magnetics manufacturing in the U.S. to support energy transition and technological sovereignty.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$1.1B
Headquarters
Durham, North Carolina
Founded
2023
Get referred to Vulcan Elements
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- 2025-11-03 Pentagon backed Vulcan with a $620 million loan and $50 million equity.
- 2026-07 North Carolina training programs are already staffing Vulcan's Benson manufacturing ramp.
- 2026 procurement rules reward non-Chinese magnets, and Vulcan supplies defense contractors today.
What critics are saying
- 2026-08-11 House Democrats subpoenaed Vulcan over 1789 Capital and the $620 million loan.
- 2027-01-01 defense magnet waiver deadline hits before Vulcan's Benson plant reaches scale.
- China's cheaper NdFeB capacity still crushes Vulcan on price if subsidies tighten or vanish.
What makes Vulcan Elements unique
- 2025-11-18 Benson plan targets 10,000 metric tons and 1,000 North Carolina jobs.
- 2026-03-24 Ucore MOU gives Vulcan allied NdPr and dysprosium feedstock from 2027.
- 2025-08-11 Series A closed at $65 million, led by Altimeter and One Investment Management.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Flexible Work Hours
Hybrid Work Options
Stock Options
Company Equity
Wellness Program
Mental Health Support
Phone/Internet Stipend
Home Office Stipend
Conference Attendance Budget
Professional Development Budget
Family Planning Benefits
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 25%1 year growth
↑ 25%2 year growth
↑ 0%Dems probe Trump Jr.'s firm while their prosecutor stonewalls Congress. House Dems target Trump Jr.'s venture firm while a Democrat DA blocks oversight into illegal alien plea deals House Judiciary Committee Democrats are demanding records from Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm while a Democrat prosecutor in Virginia obstructs the same committee's investigation into his office allegedly giving illegal aliens softer deals than American defendants - a split screen that tells you everything about who Washington holds accountable and who it shields. The contrast isn't subtle. Ranking member Jamie Raskin fired off a letter to Trump Jr. and 1789 Capital founders Omeed Malik and Christopher Buskirk demanding investment records and communications with government officials by September 9, according to The Guardian. Raskin called the firm's growth - from $150 million in assets under management to a reported $3.5 billion by May - a "miraculous transformation" and said it is "impossible to believe" the success came from anything other than "insider political influence and thoroughgoing corruption." 1789 Capital counsel AJ Merton called the allegations "unsubstantiated talking points" and said repackaging press clippings on congressional letterhead "is a hallmark of partisan stunts and politically motivated harassment, not oversight." Raskin, in the minority, lacks subpoena power without Republican cooperation. Raskin's letter points to 1789 Capital's investment in Vulcan Elements, a rare earth company, and notes the Pentagon later announced a $620 million direct loan to the firm while the Commerce Department provided a $50 million grant under the Chips and Science Act - legislation signed by Joe Biden. Trump himself told CNBC in July that his children have "inside information" because his policies touch nearly every part of the economy. Follow the money: 40 percent of 1789 Capital's assets came from foreign investors, according to SEC filings reviewed by The Guardian and CNN. That deserves scrutiny - and the public interest in whether access to the presidency is being monetized is real. But so is the investigation Democrats are obstructing on the other side of the same committee. Chairman Jim Jordan and Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock have been trying since January to get documents from Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano over allegations his office offers preferential plea deals to illegal alien defendants. Descano has refused, claiming Congress has no oversight over his office - an argument Jordan and McClintock rejected this week, citing Supreme Court precedent affirming broad congressional oversight powers, Breitbart reported. The stakes are not abstract. Descano testified in May after the murder of Stephanie Minter, allegedly stabbed to death at a bus stop by Abdul Jalloh, an illegal alien from Sierra Leone with more than 30 prior arrests. Descano's office had repeatedly dropped charges against Jalloh. "This is something I will never get to experience again because of the failures of our justice system," Minter's mother Cheryl said. So here is the two-tiered system in plain view: Democrats on the Judiciary Committee chase venture capital returns they find politically suspicious, armed with letterhead and press clippings but no subpoena power. Meanwhile, a Democrat prosecutor accused of going easy on illegal aliens with dozens of prior arrests - until an American mother is dead - tells the same committee it has no right to see his records. One investigation targets a president's son. The other shields a system that failed a dead citizen. The question isn't whether 1789 Capital deserves scrutiny. It's whether Washington only investigates the people it opposes and protects the people it needs.
Don Jr.'s string of lucrative investments with 'almost clairvoyant accuracy' triggers new congressional probe. 2 hours ago Donald Trump Jr. has found himself at the center of a new congressional investigation into a string of remarkably lucrative investments made by his venture capital firm since his father returned to the White House. Discover more Consulting Legal Experts Subscribing To News Following Political News The investigation seeks to determine whether the unusual pattern of investments and subsequent government actions that benefited those companies warrants a closer look. House Democrats want to know whether 1789 Capital is simply extraordinarily good at picking winners, or whether being closely connected to the Trump administration has given the firm an advantage other investors don't have. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is demanding answers from 1789 Capital, the venture capital firm Trump Jr. joined shortly after Donald Trump returned to the presidency. In a letter obtained by MS NOW, Raskin points to a series of investments he says were made with "almost clairvoyant accuracy." Discover more Following Political News Sourcing Government Grants The timing of some of those bets, he argues, is difficult to ignore. When Trump Jr. joined 1789 Capital, the firm was reportedly worth only a few million dollars. It is now estimated to be worth roughly $3 billion. That's a staggering jump - and Raskin wants to know exactly how it happened. The $620 million Vulcan windfall One investment in particular is drawing scrutiny: Vulcan Elements, a rare-earth magnet producer. 1789 Capital bought an undisclosed stake in the company in 2025. About three months later, the Pentagon announced a $620 million loan to Vulcan. The timing was remarkable. Bloomberg valued the two-year-old startup at roughly $200 million around the time 1789 Capital invested. After news of the government deal broke, Vulcan's estimated value soared to nearly $2 billion. Raskin called it an "amazing turn of events" that the Trump administration decided to put more than half a billion dollars into what was then an unproven startup. Discover more Subscribing To Newspapers Studying Journalism Courses Exploring Conservative Media Trump Jr. has denied having inside information. He previously told The New York Times that he and 1789 Capital president Omeed Malik simply made a reasonable assumption that Vulcan would succeed. "It's not like it takes a genius to figure this out," Trump Jr. said. Perhaps not. But Raskin isn't convinced the timing can simply be waved away. Then there's Juul Vulcan isn't the only investment attracting attention. Raskin is also seeking information about 1789 Capital's investments in Juul, Polymarket and defense contractor Anduril Industries. Reuters reported that 1789 invested in e-cigarette company Juul in March 2025. Later, the Food and Drug Administration reversed a ban involving certain e-cigarette products. Once again, the question is whether 1789 was simply making smart bets - or whether the firm had unusually good insight into where federal policy was heading. Raskin sees a pattern. "With Don Jr.'s new leadership role, 1789 Capital has developed an uncanny ability to identify companies that are about to receive massive influxes of cash from the Trump Administration or to benefit from significant changes in federal policies and regulations," he wrote. "They say there is no such thing as a sure thing in investing, but this is about as close as you can get." Democrats want the receipts Raskin isn't just asking for explanations. He's demanding records. His letter seeks communications involving 1789 Capital and federal officials, elected representatives and other government figures, along with a complete list of the firm's investments. The purpose is to determine whether Trump's return to power created investment opportunities that 1789 Capital was uniquely positioned to exploit. Raskin went even further, arguing that it is "impossible to believe that your firm's astonishing growth and success are due to anything other than insider political influence and thoroughgoing corruption." That's a serious accusation. Trump Jr.'s firm calls it political harassment 1789 Capital isn't taking the allegations quietly. AJ Merton, counsel for the firm, dismissed Raskin's claims as "unsubstantiated talking points." "Repackaging press clippings on congressional letterhead does not turn news headlines into evidence," Merton told MS NOW, calling the investigation a partisan stunt and politically motivated harassment. Trump Jr. has likewise denied having inside information about the investments. So far, Republicans in Congress have resisted Democratic efforts to subpoena Trump Jr. over the firm's investments. But that could change dramatically depending on the outcome of November's elections. A $3 billion question The investigation comes at an awkward time for the Trump family. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has made major financial and regulatory decisions affecting industries in which Trump's allies and associates have invested. At the same time, Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm has gone from reportedly being worth only a few million dollars to an estimated $3 billion. That doesn't prove wrongdoing. But it does raise a question that isn't going away: How did Trump Jr.'s firm manage to repeatedly position itself so close to major government decisions - and profit so handsomely when those decisions arrived? Raskin believes the timing is too extraordinary to ignore. If Democrats regain control of the House after the November elections, they could have substantially more power to obtain the records and testimony they are currently seeking. The biggest question surrounding 1789 Capital isn't whether its investments were profitable. It's whether someone knew where the government was heading before everyone else did.
Seed $90M for World-Model AI, $100B Nvidia-OpenAI pact and $200M robotics round. Q3 2026 saw large seed and strategic investments in physical AI, a $100 billion Nvidia-OpenAI partnership, a $200 million construction-robotics round, a Chinese humanoid robot IPO, a North Carolina VC surge and Y Combinator's drug-discovery cohort. Compiled automatically from the sources listed below and checked against Hyperuranios' own capital and research data. Every figure here traces to a linked source. Artificial intelligence. Nvidia disclosed a strategic partnership with OpenAI that could involve up to US$100 billion of investment, combining cash purchases of Nvidia's datacenter chips with a non-controlling equity stake in OpenAI. The agreement targets the construction of at least ten gigawatts of AI compute capacity by the end of 2026, with the first gigawatt to be delivered in the second half of 2026 via Nvidia's forthcoming Vera Rubin platform. OpenAI will purchase the supplied systems under a definitive agreement pending finalisation, underscoring Nvidia's role as the primary hardware supplier for next-generation frontier models [4]. Venture capital activity in North Carolina's Research Triangle surged to US$855.5 million across 26 deals in Q2 2026, a sharp rise from the US$183.8 million recorded earlier in the year. Five companies accounted for roughly 80 % of the capital, with rare-earth magnet producer Vulcan Elements attracting US$430.7 million and AI-native startups featuring prominently among the top sectors alongside biotech. The concentration of large checks was highlighted by local investors such as Idea Fund Partners and Front Porch Venture Partners, who stress the importance of headline-making financings for ecosystem momentum [3]. Robotics. Swiss-Swiss-German startup Gravis Robotics secured a US$200 million Series A round in August 2026, led by SoftBank, to accelerate its spin-out from ETH Zurich's research programme. The funding will support international expansion, engineering hires and the rollout of its Gravis Rack system, which retrofits existing construction equipment with sensors, compute and autonomy software. Gravis claims its AI models, trained on large simulated datasets, can boost earth-moving productivity by up to 30 % while augmenting, rather than replacing, human operators. The round is described as the largest Series A ever raised in construction robotics [1]. Shutu Technology announced an angel-plus round in August 2026 that raised tens of millions of yuan from Shenzhen High-Tech Investment and Linge Venture Capital. The Chinese firm focuses on two fronts: extracting high-quality multimodal training data from video to feed embodied AI models, and providing a 'brain' for robots to enable commercial deployment in complex, non-standard environments. By mining video rather than manually capturing data, Shutu aims to lower the cost of training data pipelines essential for physical AI, positioning the company as a data-centric player in the emerging embodied-intelligence market [2].
US Rare Earth magnet deadline 2027: why it affects more than defense. * July 31, 2026 Most industrial buyers of magnetic separation equipment have no reason to read defense procurement regulations. But there's a rule taking effect in exactly five months that's worth five minutes of attention anyway, because the reasoning behind it is about to reshape who can access "clean" rare earth magnet supply - and that reshaping won't stay confined to defense contracts. The rule: no more waivers after January 1, 2027. Under existing federal regulations, defense contractors and certain other federal suppliers are required to stop purchasing specified rare earths, magnets, tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum sourced from China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea by January 1, 2027. This isn't a new rule - Washington has restricted these purchases for years - but it has historically been softened by waivers, granted routinely because domestic and allied supply simply couldn't meet demand. That's the part changing now. In a May Truth Social post, President Trump pushed back directly against the waiver system, and in late July signed an executive order making it substantially harder for defense contractors to obtain one going forward. The message to the defense industrial base is direct: the workaround that's kept supply chains functional for years is being closed off, on a five-month clock. The math problem nobody has solved yet. The reason waivers existed in the first place is straightforward: the numbers don't currently work without them. U.S. demand for common rare earth magnets totaled roughly 48,000 metric tons in 2025. Domestic supply covered an estimated 300 tons of that - a gap large enough that even an increase to around 5,000 tons by the end of this year would still leave the vast majority of demand unaccounted for domestically. Figure: The US rare earth magnet supply gap, 2025-26 (source: Arthur D. Little / Reuters) Money is moving to close that gap. Energy Fuels received a $725 million Pentagon loan and plans to begin processing rare earths by year-end, is acquiring an existing US magnet producer, and is targeting 6,000 metric tons of annual capacity by 2029. Ucore and ReElement have committed to supplying feedstock to magnet maker Vulcan Elements, which is building a North Carolina facility slated to open by 2030. USA Rare Earth is building a magnet plant in South Carolina. These are real, funded projects - but nearly all of them come online well after the January 2027 deadline, not before it. Figure: Countdown to the January 1, 2027 deadline Why this isn't just a defense industry problem. It would be reasonable to read all of this and conclude it only matters if you sell to the Pentagon. That's not quite right, for one specific reason: defense contractors and commercial buyers are drawing from the same limited pool of non-restricted-origin magnet supply. When a rule forces a large category of buyers to source exclusively from US, allied, or otherwise verified non-China/Russia/Iran/North Korea supply chains, that demand doesn't disappear into a separate market - it competes directly with every other buyer who was already sourcing from the same limited set of compliant suppliers, whether by choice or by their own customers' requirements. If you supply equipment to customers who have their own compliance obligations - automotive, aerospace, or any manufacturer with defense-adjacent contracts in their own customer base - this rule can reach your supply chain indirectly even if you've never sold a single unit to a defense prime. Three ways this plays out. The deadline holds, and waivers genuinely tighten. Defense-adjacent demand for compliant magnet supply spikes hard in the final months of 2026, pulling supply and pushing prices across the broader compliant-origin magnet market - not just defense-designated parts. The deadline holds on paper, but enforcement stays soft. Some industry reporting already anticipates this scenario: the rule remains in force, but practical waiver decisions continue on a case-by-case basis because the supply genuinely isn't there yet. This reduces the shock but doesn't remove the underlying scarcity - it just spreads it out. The timeline slips. Given how far domestic capacity remains from meeting even a fraction of demand, a delay or phased implementation is a real possibility. This is the scenario multiple industry analysts consider most likely given the current numbers, though nothing is confirmed. None of these scenarios point toward a return to how the supply chain worked before this policy existed. All three point toward compliant-origin documentation becoming more valuable, not less, over the next 12-18 months. What to ask your supplier now. * Where does the raw material and processing in your magnets actually originate - not just the country of final assembly? A magnet finished outside China can still have passed through Chinese-origin processing at an earlier stage; the documentation trail matters more than the shipping label. * Does your supplier have a plan for sourcing from non-restricted-origin material if demand for compliant supply tightens? This is worth asking even if none of your current business touches defense contracts - your customers' compliance needs may change faster than your own. * Is now a good time to lock in longer-term supply commitments rather than relying on spot sourcing, given that the compliant-origin portion of the market is the part under the most pressure over the next year and a half? Where MagnetGlobal fits. Magnetbarglobal is not positioned to predict how enforcement plays out, and this isn't legal or compliance guidance - check with your own trade counsel for that. But sourcing transparency is something Magnetbarglobal can help with directly: if you need clarity on where the materials in your magnetic separation equipment actually originate, or want to talk through supply contingency planning ahead of any of the scenarios above, reach out to its engineering team. This article reflects publicly available policy reporting as of late July 2026 and is intended as general background, not legal or compliance advice. Regulatory details and enforcement timelines can change; confirm current requirements with qualified counsel before making sourcing or compliance decisions. Welcome To Share This Page: Most industrial buyers of magnetic separation equipment have no reason to read defense procurement regulations. But there's a rule taking 31/07/2026 If a quote for magnetic separation equipment came in higher than expected this month, or a supplier asked to requote 31/07/2026 There's a deadline sitting on the calendar that most industrial buyers haven't priced into their sourcing plans yet: China's suspension 28/07/2026 Related products. Magnetbarglobal share products here that may be useful to you. If you don't find anything that interests you or would like to learn more, please feel free to contact MagnetGlobal via the form and Magnetbarglobal will get back to you as soon as possible.
President Trump urged defence contractors to "do magnets" during a speech at the Pennsylvania Defence & Innovation Summit, seven weeks after a White House aide helped secure a $620 million Pentagon loan for rare-earth magnet startup Vulcan Elements. Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, had invested in the North Carolina-based company roughly three months before the Pentagon announced the loan. White House senior counselor Peter Navarro personally requested Pentagon approval for the loan, the only funding deal among dozens initiated by a top White House aide. Defence officials said they were instructed to move unusually quickly on the request. Democratic lawmakers have demanded answers about the deal, calling it "a staggering level of corruption and influence peddling" that enriched the president's son at taxpayers' expense.