Senior Materials & Process Engineer

About Castelion

Castelion is bringing a new approach to defense development and production: one that focuses on short, iterative design cycles, rapid testing in development, and modern commercial manufacturing strategies for production at scale. We’re designing, building, and testing next generation long range strike weapons systems to give America and its Allies a definitive edge and deter future conflicts.

Senior Materials & Process Engineer

Castelion is seeking a Senior Materials & Process Engineer to develop and validate epoxy bonding processes for our long range, precision strike hypersonic missiles. This role is directly reporting to our Head of Manufacturing and will also work closely with our Materials and Design Engineering teams to test and integrate epoxy bonding processes. A strong understanding of epoxy adhesives and their interactions with other materials is a must as this person will serve as the subject matter expert for the entire organization.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and select appropriate materials based on design requirements, performance specifications, and cost-effectiveness.
• Develop, improve, and optimize manufacturing processes, ensuring efficient and cost-effective production while maintaining product quality.
• Design test plans and conduct material testing (mechanical, thermal, etc.) to evaluate suitability for specific applications.
• Investigate material or process-related failures and develop corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Prepare technical reports, material specifications, and process documentation to support product development, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.
• Stay updated on new materials, emerging technologies, and industry best practices to improve materials and processes and enhance product performance.
• Support the development of internal engineering and quality processes to standardize and accelerate material evaluation, implementation, and qualification.
• Lead and coordinate internal and external M&P efforts, including the development of material and process specifications, supplier qualifications, part qualifications, mechanical testing, and customer-facing updates.

Basic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field. A Master's degree is a plus.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in materials and processes engineering, preferably within aerospace/automotive.
• Knowledge: Strong knowledge of materials properties, testing methods, and manufacturing processes (e.g., casting, welding, additive manufacturing, etc.).
• Skills: Proficient in materials characterization techniques (e.g. metallographic mounting, OM/SEM microscopy, mechanical testing).
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary team environment.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Knowledge of industry-specific regulations, certifications, and standards (e.g., ASTM, ISO, MIL-SPEC).
• Experience in failure analysis or root cause investigation.
• Experience with adhesive bonding processes.
• Experience with interfacial strength characterization methods (e.g. lap shear, tensile loading peel tests).
• Familiarity with polymer specific characterization techniques (DSC, TGA, FTIR).

Additional Requirements

• Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed.
• Must be able to travel up to 10% of the time.

Leadership Qualities

• Bias to Action and Creative Problem Solving. Desire and experience questioning assumptions in ways that lead to break through ideas that are ultimately implemented. Successfully bring in applicable processes/concepts/materials from other industries to achieve efficiency gains. Ability to personally resolve minor issues in development without requiring significant support.
• High Commitment, High Initiative. A successful candidate will have a genuine passion for Castelion’s mission and consistently look for ways to contribute to the company’s technical goals and prevent hardware blockers. Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere. Strong sense of accountability and integrity.
• Clear Communicator. Proactively communicates blockers. Trusted in previous roles to be voice of company with regulators, suppliers, gate keepers and customers. Capable of tactfully managing relationships with stakeholders to achieve company-desired outcomes without compromising relationships. Emails, IMs and verbal interactions are logical, drive clarity, and detailed enough to eliminate ambiguity.

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.

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.

All employees are granted long-term stock incentives as part of their employment at Castelion. All employees receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, and the company offers four weeks of paid time off per year.

Key skills/competency

• Senior Materials & Process Engineer
• Epoxy Bonding
• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Processes
• Mechanical Testing
• Failure Analysis
• Process Documentation
• Supplier Qualification
• Quality Assurance
• Aerospace Engineering