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.

Manufacturing Engineer, Chemical Vapor Deposition

Castelion is seeking a highly motivated Manufacturing Engineer to support development, operation, and scale-up of our chemical vapor deposition (CVD) manufacturing systems. This role is focused on building, modifying, troubleshooting, and operating production equipment used to manufacture ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials for high-performance thermal protection systems.

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys working directly with hardware. The ideal candidate has experience designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems through internships, manufacturing experience, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, rocketry, robotics, motorsports, machine shop projects, or other highly hands-on engineering programs.

The successful candidate will spend significant time on the production floor working with reactor systems, tooling, instrumentation, and manufacturing equipment while partnering with materials, design, and production teams to improve reliability, throughput, and manufacturability.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, assemble, and test modifications to CVD reactor systems and supporting equipment.
• Support daily reactor operations, development testing, and manufacturing activities.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, vacuum, thermal, and process-related equipment issues.
• Perform and coordinate preventative and corrective maintenance activities to maximize equipment uptime.
• Collect and analyze test and production data to drive equipment and process improvements.
• Develop manufacturing work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintenance procedures, and nonconformance documentation.
• Support installation, commissioning, and qualification of new manufacturing equipment.
• Work closely with technicians and engineers to rapidly identify and resolve production issues.
• Execute engineering projects from concept through implementation in a fast-paced development environment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• Demonstrated hands-on engineering experience designing, building, testing, or troubleshooting hardware.
• Comfortable using hand tools, power tools, measurement equipment, and basic fabrication equipment.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to diagnose and solve equipment problems.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to work off-shift hours when required to support testing or production operations.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Formula SAE, Baja SAE, collegiate rocketry, robotics competition, motorsports, machine shop, or equivalent hands-on engineering experience.

• Experience with vacuum systems, thermal processing equipment, furnaces, reactors, or other industrial equipment.

• Experience with CAD design, mechanical fabrication, and engineering drawings.

• Experience supporting manufacturing equipment, automation systems, or production operations.

• Familiarity with root cause analysis, process improvement, and equipment reliability methodologies.

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.