Senior Mechanical Design Engineer (Structures & Thermal Protection Integration)
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Torrance, CA; Rio Rancho, NM
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Contract
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Engineering design
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field
- 5+ years of experience in structural design and analysis for aerospace or high-performance systems
- Strong background in high-temperature structures and materials, particularly in TPS-adjacent or aerothermal environments
- Experience designing separation systems, joints, and structural interfaces for flight hardware
- Proficiency in CAD and analysis tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent)
- Experience with structural and thermal analysis, including thermal-structural coupling and tolerance stack-up
- Familiarity with materials used in high-temperature environments (e.g., ceramics, carbon-carbon, refractory metals, or similar)
- Experience with hardware build, test, and troubleshooting in a lab or flight hardware environment
- Strong problem-solving mindset, thriving in a fast-paced, hardware-rich, high flight cadence environment
Full description
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, ownership, and excellence are decisive advantages - and we're building a world-class team to turn bold ideas into real capability.
This is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage, where you'll have significant ownership, collaborate with exceptional teammates, and make a direct, measurable impact on our mission and the future of the company - regardless of your function.
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer (Structures & Thermal Protection Integration)
We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to design and deliver critical flight vehicle structures for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. This role is focused on structural systems that interface with and enable the thermal protection system (TPS), including separating nose tip architectures and other high-temperature structural components. You will work hands-on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate flight-critical structures in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.
Responsibilities
- Design and develop flight vehicle structures, including separating nose tip systems and other components critical to thermal protection system (TPS) performance
- Lead the architecture and detailed design of high-temperature structural assemblies, including joints, interfaces, and load paths across TPS and primary structure
- Perform structural and thermal analyses to ensure performance and reliability under extreme aerothermal, pressure, and dynamic environments
- Work closely with materials, TPS, aerothermal, GNC, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless integration of structures with vehicle systems
- Develop and analyze separation mechanisms and interfaces, ensuring reliable and repeatable operation under flight conditions
- Conduct tolerance analysis and assess thermal expansion, material compatibility, and interface behavior at elevated temperatures
- Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of structural and interface performance issues
- Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including thermal, vibration, and shock testing
- Optimize designs for mass, thermal performance, structural integrity, and manufacturability
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in high-temperature structural design
- Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success