Deputy Program Engineer, Hypersonic Strike

About the role

Castelion is rapidly developing and delivering advanced defense systems at a time when execution and technical excellence matter more than ever. We move fast, focus hard, and build 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.

System-level trades for Blackbeard development test milestones and own configuration and release status for all Blackbeard development flights. Serve as the primary technical partner to the product Responsible Engineer, maintaining a vehicle-level understanding of the system and driving technical execution across the program. Set and maintain clear visibility into testing progress across the company including vehicle-level systems integration, propulsion, structures, avionics, GNC, software, payload, thermal, and ground systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the objectives, success criteria, schedule, and vehicle configuration for each development test. Align these with program leadership and technical stakeholders.
• Own the integrated technical configuration for each development vehicle and mission, including top-level vehicle CAD, interfaces, configuration baselines, and design release status.
• Identify and resolve cross-functional technical issues, interface conflicts, and configuration gaps that could impact vehicle performance, build, test, or flight.
• Track and communicate vehicle technical maturity, schedule, critical-path risks, and readiness to the broader organization and program leadership.
• Lead vehicle and mission readiness reviews, ensuring technical risks, open work, deviations, and required decisions are clearly understood and driven to closure.
• Coordinate preflight engineering verification across all disciplines, ensuring required analyses, tests, inspections, and technical approvals are completed.
• Own or coordinate key customer technical data deliveries and mission-specific vehicle information.
• Ensure lessons learned from ground and flight testing are rapidly incorporated into subsequent vehicle configurations.
• Operate with broad authority across the program and drive issues to closure regardless of functional ownership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of hands-on hardware design, testing, and support
• Demonstrated project management and communication skillset across 100+ organizations
• Demonstrated capability to evaluate system-level risk and develop test strategies aligned with and approved by the customer.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government–issued security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Skills

• System integration and test for electromechanical hardware and software
• Flight vehicle test experience, first flights, rockets
• Deep ownership mindset – reliably deliver extreme outcomes

Benefits

• All full-time employees are granted meaningful long-term equity, sharing in the company's significant growth trajectory.
• Four (4) weeks of paid time off, ten (10) company-paid holidays, and comprehensive health benefits - including 1