Manager, Government and Community Affairs, Project Ranger

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 and technical excellence are decisive advantages - and we are building a team that can deliver 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.

Project Ranger is Castelion's advanced manufacturing facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. When completed, it will be the world's largest purpose-built hypersonics manufacturing facilities, supporting high-rate production, local job creation, and the national security needs of the United States.

Project Ranger is a major long-term investment in New Mexico. Its success will depend not only on construction and production execution, but also on strong relationships with local communities, elected officials, workforce partners, educational institutions, business organizations, and civic leaders across Rio Rancho, Sandoval County, Albuquerque, and the broader state.

In this role, the Manager, Government and Community Affairs, Project Ranger will lead Castelion's local and regional engagement strategy in New Mexico. This person will be responsible for building and maintaining trusted relationships with community leaders, local and state officials, workforce development partners, educational institutions, business groups, and other key stakeholders.

This role is both strategic and operational. The right candidate will be able to represent Castelion externally, manage community-facing priorities, anticipate reputational risks, support local media and site-visit opportunities, and help ensure Project Ranger is understood as a major economic development and national security asset for New Mexico. This is not a pure communications role or a purely government relations role.

It requires someone who can operate across public affairs, community engagement, economic development, workforce development, local government relations, and site-level reputation management.

• Develop and execute a regional external affairs strategy for Project Ranger across Rio Rancho, Sandoval County, Albuquerque, and the broader New Mexico stakeholder community.
• Build and maintain relationships with local and state elected officials, county and municipal leaders, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, business associations, civic organizations, and community groups.
• Serve as a local ambassador for Castelion and Project Ranger, helping explain the company's mission, the facility's economic impact, and its role in strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base.
• Identify and lead partnerships with workforce development organizations, technical schools, community colleges, universities, veteran transition programs, and training providers to support hiring and long-term workforce needs.
• Work closely with Castelion's Recruiting and Operations teams to support local recruiting, workforce pipeline development, employee onboarding, and community integration.
• Plan and execute site visits, briefings, community events, ribbon cuttings, facility tours, and stakeholder engagements related to Project Ranger.
• Support local and regional media engagement in coordination with Castelion's Communications team, including proactive storytelling around construction milestones, hiring, workforce development, and economic impact.
• Monitor local sentiment, media coverage, community concerns, and political developments that could affect Project Ranger's reputation, operations, or long-term growth.
• Help manage community investment, sponsorship, philanthropic, and civic partnership opportunities aligned with Castelion's business and community priorities.
• Coordinate with internal teams to ensure external messaging is accurate, consistent, and aligned with operational realities at the site.
• Prepare briefing materials, talking points, stakeholder maps, engagement plans, and readouts for senior leadership.
• Support engagement with local military, veteran, STEM, education, and manufacturing communities.
• Serve as an early-warning system for local issues that could create reputational, political, workforce, or operational challenges.

• 8+ years of experience in external affairs, public affairs, government relations, community relations, economic development, communications, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of New Mexico's political, civic, business, and community landscape, with particular familiarity with Rio Rancho, Sandoval County, Albuquerque, or state-level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience building trust with local officials, community leaders, business organizations, educational institutions, and other external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including…