Principal Manufacturing Engineer, Radar

Hardware Manufacturing & Global Security Enthusiast

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 ’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.

Castelion is seeking a principal manufacturing engineer to join our Radar development team. In this role, you will own the end-to-end transition from prototype to full‑scale production. You will architect and implement manufacturing processes to achieve aggressive production cost, quality, and delivery targets.

• Define & Scale Manufacturing Processes

  Lead R&D-to-production transition by capturing existing (yet informal) production flows, formalizing them, and architecting scalable, high‑throughput processes (e.g., tooling, layout, SOPs, PFMEA). Design a greenfield production site from scratch to produce radars at scale.

• Production Test Equipment Selection and Implementation

  Specify stations and necessary equipment for each production step—defining functional requirements, safety interlocks, interfaces, and use cases. Manage procurement and coordinate with hardware and software teams to ensure integration and deployment.

• Data Capture & Quality Control

  Collaborate with design engineers and software teams to define what data to collect, set process control limits, and enable data capture, validation, storage, and visualization (e.g., dashboards, SPC tools). Provide technical support to resolve production issues, lead root‑cause analysis, and drive continuous improvements in quality, cost, and throughput.

• Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Documentation

  Engage with R&D, design, test, operations, and suppliers to align manufacturing needs with design intent. Maintain up‑to‑date, accurate documentation for flow processes, test systems, and manufacturing specs. Act as the go‑to expert for electronics production and test. Provide guidance to less experienced engineers and influence the company’s overall approach to electronics production.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Systems, or Manufacturing Engineering (or related field).
• 10+ years in manufacturing engineering and/or production, with significant experience in avionics, high‑reliability electronics, or aerospace hardware development.

• Proven record in supporting NPI, pilot runs, and transition to production—delivering robust and scalable manufacturing systems.
• Demonstrated success in troubleshooting complex build issues and driving corrective actions.
• Skilled at interfacing with design, systems, test, and supplier teams to close the loop on manufacturability and production readiness.
• Experience in regulated or defense environments.
• Aptitude for mentoring and influencing cross‑functional teams—without direct reporting relationships.

• Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed.
• Must be able to travel up to 10%.
• All employees are granted long‑term stock incentives as part of their employment  employees receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, and the company offers three weeks of paid time off per year.

• 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 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…