Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Composites

About the role

Why Castelion, Why Now

Castelion is moving incredibly fast to develop and deliver advanced defense systems at a time when execution matters more than ever. We believe focus and technical excellence are decisive advantages - and we are building a team that can deliver real capability, not just concepts.

This is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage, where your work will directly shape critical systems, influence major technical decisions, and have immediate, real-world impact.

Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Composites

Castelion is seeking a highly skilled Senior Manufacturing Engineer to establish in house manufacturing capability for composite components. This will include qualifying build processes, releasing mature work instructions, producing tooling, and training operators.

This role will be responsible for delivering flight ready composite hardware produced through internal Castelion manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

Develop, validate, and implement manufacturing processes for composite structures, including layup, vacuum bagging, curing, trimming, bonding, and assembly operations.
Design and develop production tooling, fixtures, molds, and manufacturing aids required for in-house production.
Generate and release work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
Troubleshoot manufacturing issues and drive improvements in quality, yield, throughput, and cost.
Lead the transition of composite components from development and external suppliers to internal production.
Establish process controls, manufacturing standards, and inspection requirements to ensure consistent product quality.
Support equipment selection, factory development, and workflow optimization to enable efficient composite manufacturing.
Partner with design and materials engineering teams to provide DFM feedback and ensure products are designed for manufacturability and production success.
Support development, qualification, and implementation of new composite materials, tooling concepts, and manufacturing methods.
Work cross-functionally with design, quality, supply chain, procurement, and program management to meet performance, schedule, and cost objectives.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering or physics.

3+ years of experience building aerospace grade composite components from scratch

Preferred Skills and Experience

Experience in a hardware development environment

Previous involvement in a high-speed production environment, handling flight hardware

Prior involvement in a high-output environment, involving hands-on experience in constructing composite components

Ability to acclimate to frequently changing assignments and a fast-paced working environment

Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, along with effective teamwork abilities

Superb focus and attention to detail, with remarkable work efficiency and accuracy

Use of hand tools, power tools and fabrication tools

Expertise in manufacturing and repairing intricate testing systems

Familiarity with Atlassian tools such as SVN, Confluence, and JIRA

Skills in project management

Benefits And Perks

Employee Equity: Meaningful equity for all full-time employees - share value has increased 150x in three years

Personal Time Off: Four (4) weeks of paid time off to unplug, reset, and come back sharp—velocity matters, burnout doesn't

Company Paid Holidays: Ten (10) company paid holidays

Medical: We offer plans at 100% employee covered and 80% of dependent coverage

Dental & Vision: We cover 90% employees and 80% for dependents to ensure you and your family have access to quality preventive and ongoing care

FSA/HSA: To support long-term health and financial resilience, we offer FSA and HSA options that allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible medical and dependent care expenses

Retirement: 401k plan offered to support long term financial growth along side high-impact, high-velocity work

Paid Parental Leave: We support growing families with meaningful time to bond and recover. Birthing parents are eligible for up to 10 weeks of paid leave, while non-birthing parents may take up to 4 weeks of paid leave. This time can be used for pre-natal care, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical needs—ensuring every parent has the support they need during this important life moment.8-weeks of paid parental leave for all parents. Additional paid pregnancy leave for CA employees

Meals & Catering: Frequently catered lunches and team meals, plus company-covered meals when extra time or effort is required

Snacks & Beverages: Fully stocked kitchen with unlimited snacks and drinks to keep you fueled throughout the day

Performance & Fitness: $100 monthly fitness stipend to support peak performance and health, both inside and outside of work

EV Charging: Onsite electric vehicle charging available for employees

Physical Demands

Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed

Must be able to travel up to 30%

Must be able to lift more than 50lbs

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

This position may require access to classified information or restricted U.S. Government sites, systems, or information, as determined by the Company and/or applicable U.S. Government requirements. If the position is so designated, your employment in the role may be contingent upon your ability to obtain and maintain the required U.S. Government security clearance or other government authorization, and to satisfy any citizenship or other eligibility requirements imposed by applicable law, regulation, executive order, or government contract requirements. You will be notified if and when such requirements apply. Failure to obtain or maintain any required clearance or authorization may result in reassignment, leave, or separation from employment, consistent with business needs and applicable law.

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

Employment with Castelion is governed on the basis of competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.