Skip to content
CV Rocket
Get started
How it worksThe enginePricingBlogContactSign in

Open nowPosted 6 days ago

Materials Characterization Engineer

Vulcan Elements57 open roles

Where
Research Triangle Park, NC
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Your applicationOpen nowMaterials Characterization EngineerVulcan Elements · Research Triangle Park, NC

  1. YouYes, apply to this one.

  2. CV RocketCV written for this posting.

  3. 25 readersRecruiter, hiring manager, skeptic. Round after round.

  4. CV RocketApplied on Vulcan Elements's own form.

The reply lands in your private mailbox

3×more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

The clock on this job

Early applications get read.

12.4% of postings close within 7 days. Measured by our own scanner across the market. Vulcan Elements postings stay open a median of 51 days.

Share of postings closed within
  1. 2.1%1 day
  2. 4.5%3 days
  3. 12.4%7 days
  4. 20.0%14 days
  5. 35.5%30 days
  6. 58.6%60 days
This job: posted 6 days ago

Vulcan Elements median: 51 days open

The posting

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.

About the Role

We 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.

Responsibilities

  • Define characterization plans that answer engineering questions and support process development, quality investigations, and product qualification.
  • Perform 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.
  • Lead method development, validation, and transfer into routine testing, defining preparation requirements, performance criteria, and documentation.
  • Establish calibration and quality-control practices; assess uncertainty, accuracy, and method limitations, and resolve questionable results.
  • Review reports, validation studies, and procedures within delegated scope; communicate defensible conclusions and recommendations.
  • Develop practical improvements to fixtures, sample handling, and test setups, coordinating specialized repairs or controls work with qualified personnel.
  • Promote safe chemical and powder handling, data integrity, and traceability; support audits, technical nonconformance investigations, and corrective actions.

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

Qualifications

  • B.S. or higher in materials science, materials engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
  • 3+ years of relevant industry experience in materials characterization, metallurgical analysis, analytical chemistry, or materials and processes engineering.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex investigations, integrate evidence, and develop actionable engineering recommendations.
  • Experience developing and validating test methods, evaluating measurement quality, and transferring methods into routine laboratory or production use.
  • Strong understanding of composition, microstructure, processing, and property relationships and the limitations of applicable test methods.
  • Demonstrated equipment troubleshooting and practical laboratory problem-solving skills, with experience following safe work and quality-system practices.
  • Ability to provide technical mentorship, review others' work, and communicate defensible conclusions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

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

Preferred Skills

  • Deep hands-on expertise in metallurgy and microscopy or elemental analysis, with working knowledge of complementary methods for metallic materials.
  • Experience with rare-earth alloys, permanent magnets, powder metallurgy, sintering, or air-sensitive metal powders.
  • Proficiency spanning microscopy and analytical chemistry, including SEM/EDS, ICP-OES, LECO/ELTRA analyzers, XRD, powder characterization, or thermal analysis.
  • Experience with heat treatment, plating, protective coatings, corrosion evaluation, or fracture analysis.
  • Experience commissioning laboratory equipment, designing test fixtures, or improving laboratory workflows during manufacturing scale-up.
  • Familiarity with ASTM methods, statistical experimental design, measurement systems analysis, and AS9100 or ISO/IEC 17025 quality systems.

Laboratory Safety and PPE Requirements

This 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.

From $25, paid onceGet the CV for this job

What happens when you press

One press. We do the rest.

  1. A CV for this posting

    Written against Vulcan Elements's own wording, from every piece of relevant proof in your profile.

  2. 25 readers review it

    Recruiter, hiring manager, skeptic and more read every draft, round after round. You get the best round.

    The review screen in CV Rocket: how each CV was read, round by round.

  3. We apply on Vulcan Elements's form

    Our application engine gets through the hardest forms there are. Where a question needs you, AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

    An application in CV Rocket: every answer filled in on the employer's form.

  4. Every reply, sorted

    Vulcan Elements's answer lands in your private mailbox, and we classify it on arrival: interview, question, rejection.

    The CV Rocket inbox: each employer reply classified as an interview, an action or a rejection.

  5. Reply with AI

    AI helps you write the email, checks it and sends it. We show you whether the recruiter read it.

  6. The interview in your calendar

    Full integration with your calendar. The invitation goes straight in.

    An interview invitation in the CV Rocket inbox, added to the candidate's calendar.
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Why it works

3×

more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT writes a CV and never learns what happened to it. We see every reply. For each CV we know:

  • How it was written, and how the review scored it
  • When we applied, and how long after the posting went up
  • Which posting, which company, which city
  • Who got the interview, and who heard nothing

That is how we know which CVs get called.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

The numbers game

More applications. More interviews.

Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting and paid once. Send enough of them and the law of large numbers finds you the job.

Get the CV for this job
By hand5–10
With CV Rocket100
applications a day

Nearby

Live postings like this one

Same employer first, then the same role elsewhere.

Before you press

Straight answers

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

What if my background isn't good enough?

We make the most of the background you have. The CV uses every piece of relevant proof your profile holds, and one of the 25 readers reads your whole profile and flags what the CV left out.

Do you really apply for me?

Yes, on the employer's own form, the hardest ones included. Where a question needs you, you answer it right there and AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once per CV, from $25. Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting.

One job. One CV.
Paid once.

Pick the posting you want. We write for it, apply for you and catch the reply.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.