Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Machining

About the role

Castelion is seeking an expert in the machining and design of complex mechanisms for our in-house hypersonic vehicle development. This role will work closely with design engineering and technician teams to build and execute on testing and validation efforts to keep pace with the research and development timetable of our products. You will be part of a team responsible for serving as a critical node in implementing feedback from testing and validation efforts, streamlining designs, and implementing manufacturing changes to quickly mature our products for flight testing and production. Desire for product and process ownership is a must in this role.

Responsibilities

• Work with component design engineering teams to determine the manufacturing and testing feasibility of products
• Operate as a standalone resource responsible for a family of mechanisms
• Architect, mature, and develop testing and validation procedures for a wide array of complex mechanisms
• Generate concept proposals in alignment with R&D efforts to help attribute requirements gathering
• Down select solutions generated based on quantifiable vehicle attributes, system cost, and weight
• Propose and defend solutions in engineering review meetings
• Develop and refine process documentation including build instructions, test and validation procedures, health and safety standards, and mBOMs
• Create, maintain, and communicate detailed production plans and schedules
• Work closely with supply chain to develop new and existing suppliers as needed
• Design, develop, and implement production tooling and equipment
• Participate in design reviews to drive design for manufacturing (DFM)
• Oversee introduction and implementation of new products and manufacturing capabilities
• Analyze and resolve manufacturing issues and non-conformances
• Develop, mentor, and train peers and colleagues

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or manufacturing engineering, or other technical degree
• 5+ years of mechanisms manufacturing, testing, and validation experience
• Experience with operations/product line management
• Demonstrated direct or indirect leadership
• Proficiency in CAD/CAM software (NX preferred)
• Experience in selection, procurement, and implementation/validation of manufacturing equipment
• Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed
• Must be able to travel up to 10% of the time

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience in mechanisms design, testing, and validation from high-volume production environments
• Experience developing comprehensive testing and validation procedures and the required documentation processes
• Experience in qualification and acceptance testing of complex aerospace mechanisms
• Working experience with capacity modeling, process mapping, Lean/Six Sigma, and value stream mapping
• Experience in transitioning development processes to rate production

Leadership Qualities

• Bias to Action and Creative Problem Solving: Desire and experience questioning assumptions in ways that lead to breakthrough 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 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 the voice of the company with regulators, suppliers, gatekeepers, 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 are detailed enough to eliminate ambiguity.

Benefits

• All employees are granted long-term stock incentives as part of their employment at Castelion
• Access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Four weeks of paid time off per year

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.