Sr. Manager, Maintenance & Reliability

The posting, as Vulcan Elements wrote it

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 role establishes the maintenance program, work management system, CMMS and ERP platforms, spare parts strategy and reliability practices do not yet exist. The Senior Manager designs and deploys them ahead of startup, then leads the organization that runs them.

The primary deliverables of the roles are a configured CMMS and ERP maintenance environment built on validated asset and materials master data; a documented work management process operating to measurable standards; a criticality-based preventive and predictive maintenance program; a stocked and governed central storeroom; an audit-ready Mechanical Integrity program; and a qualified maintenance organization built on schedule against line startup.

Responsibilities

Maintenance Program and Management System

• Design and document the maintenance management system: work management process, roles and decision rights, performance standards and governance.
• Establish the work identification-through-closeout workflow — notification, prioritization, planning, kitting, scheduling, execution and closeout — and the discipline behind each step.
• Define maintenance strategy by asset class, grounded in criticality rather than habit.
• Build the performance framework: PM and schedule compliance, wrench time, backlog health, emergency work ratio, MTBF/MTTR and maintenance cost per unit produced.
• Own Mechanical Integrity for PSM-covered equipment with EHS and the PSM Manager — inspection and test plans, deficiency management and audit-ready evidence.

CMMS and ERP Configuration and Deployment

• CMMS configuration: Lead platform selection and functional configuration — work order types and priorities, approval workflow, planning and scheduling, permit linkage and mobile execution.
• Asset hierarchy and master data: Design the asset register, functional location hierarchy, equipment numbering and tagging convention, and the governance model that keeps the data clean at scale.
• PM library and failure taxonomy: Build job plans and task lists from OEM data and criticality analysis, with runtime- and condition-based triggers; establish failure and cause codes that make the data usable for reliability analysis.
• ERP and MRO workflows: Configure stock item masters, storeroom locations, min/max levels, requisition-to-receipt flow, issue and return transactions, and work order cost capture with correct capital-versus-expense treatment.
• Equipment BOMs and integration: Link equipment bills of material to stock items so planners can kit jobs; integrate CMMS with historian, SCADA and MES for runtime and

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mo, Infor EAM or comparable), including inventory, purchasing and cost capture.

• Proven record building a maintenance and reliability program from a greenfield or low-maturity starting point, with measurable movement in PM compliance, emergency work ratio and maintenance cost.
• Experience building spare parts and storeroom programs, including criticality-based stocking.
• Direct accountability for maintenance safety programs and for an operating budget.

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

Preferred

• Demonstrated ownership of a CMMS implementation. You have designed an asset hierarchy, built a PM library, configured work management workflow and driven adoption through go-live.
• Greenfield or major expansion experience — standing up maintenance in an empty building rather than improving a running operation.
• PSM-regulated site experience with direct Mechanical Integrity program ownership.
• CMRP, CRL or equivalent professional certification.
• Background across relevant asset classes: vacuum furnaces and thermal systems, hydraulic presses, powder and material handling, CNC machine tools, plating and wastewater, and utility plant equipment.
• Lean, TPM or Six Sigma certification with applied maintenance projects.
• Master’s degree or MBA.

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.