Vulcan Elements

Network Engineer

Vulcan Elements

Research Triangle Park, NCPosted Jul 28, 2026
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Job 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 Transparency.

As a Network Engineer, you will design, deploy, and maintain the network infrastructure that powers our office and manufacturing facilities. You will be a key contributor to ensuring secure, reliable, and high-performance connectivity across IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments. This role requires deep technical expertise in enterprise networking, a strong security mindset aligned with CMMC and NIST 800-171, and hands-on experience in regulated or government-adjacent environments.

** Responsibilities **

  • ** Network Design and Deployment: ** Architect, implement, and maintain LAN/WAN/WLAN infrastructure across office and manufacturing environments using Cisco Meraki and Ubiquiti UniFi platforms.

  • ** OT Network Management: ** Design and maintain segmented OT/IT network environments supporting industrial control systems, PLCs, and manufacturing floor devices. Enforce strict zone isolation in accordance with NIST and CMMC control families.

  • ** Security and Compliance: ** Implement and enforce network security controls aligned with NIST and CMMC requirements, including access control, boundary protection, audit logging, and incident response.

  • ** Firewall and Segmentation: ** Configure and manage firewalls, VLANs, ACLs, and micro-segmentation policies to protect CUI and sensitive manufacturing data.

  • ** Monitoring and Troubleshooting: ** Proactively monitor network health, respond to outages, and perform root cause analysis across both IT and OT segments.

  • ** VPN and Remote Access: ** Administer and maintain secure remote access solutions including site-to-site and client VPN configurations, ensuring least-privilege access.

  • ** Documentation: ** Maintain detailed network diagrams, configuration baselines, change logs, and system security plans (SSPs) as required for CMMC assessments.

  • ** Cross-Functional Collaboration: ** Partner with Engineering, Operations, and IT teams to support network requirements for automation, data acquisition, and production systems.

  • ** Government and Compliance Support: ** Support internal audits, CMMC assessments, and government contract compliance reviews with thorough documentation and evidence collection.

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

** Qualifications **

  • ** Experience: ** 3+ years of experience in network engineering, preferably in a manufacturing, defense, or government-regulated environment.

  • ** OT Network Experience: ** Hands-on experience designing or maintaining OT/IT converged networks including familiarity with industrial protocols (Modbus, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET) and ICS/SCADA network architecture.

  • ** Platform Proficiency: ** Direct hands-on experience with Cisco Meraki (switching, wireless, security appliances) and Ubiquiti UniFi (switches, APs, gateways) required.

  • ** Security Mindset: ** Working knowledge of NIST 800-171, CMMC, and network-level controls. Experience supporting or preparing for CMMC assessments is strongly preferred.

  • ** Government Experience (Preferred): ** Prior experience supporting federal contractors, DoD programs, or government-adjacent facilities with CUI handling and export-controlled environments (ITAR/EAR).

  • ** Routing and Switching: ** Strong fundamentals in BGP, OSPF, spanning tree, VLANs, QoS, and SD-WAN concepts.

  • ** Problem Solving: ** Ability to diagnose and resolve complex network issues across both IT and OT environments with minimal downtime.

  • ** Physical Requirements: ** Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, work in a manufacturing environment, and perform cable runs, rack installations, and equipment mounting.

  • ** Preferred Certifications: ** Cisco CCNA or CCNP, Meraki ECMS, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+

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