Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Structural Bonding Rio Rancho, Mexico Manufacturing – Propulsion

• Manufacturing - Propulsion

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.

Job Description:
Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Structural Bonding

Solid Rocket Motors & Composite Structures – Aerospace & Defense

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer with deep experience in structural bonding to develop, qualify, and scale bonded-joint manufacturing for Castelion’s solid rocket motors and related hypersonic hardware. This role focuses on liner-to-case bonds, insulator and composite interfaces, nozzle and closure bonds, metal-to-composite joints, and other structural adhesive applications used in motor assembly. You will own process definition, surface preparation, adhesive selection and application, cure control, inspection, and yield improvement while partnering with Design, Quality, Tooling & Automation, Production, and Site Operations.

The objective is repeatable, high-reliability bonded structures that meet aerospace requirements from development builds through high-rate production.

Key Responsibilities

• Own manufacturing processes for structural bonding of SRM and related hardware, including liner/insulator-to-case bonds, composite-to-metal joints, nozzle/closure bonds, and bonded assembly interfaces.
• Develop and qualify surface-preparation, adhesive application, fixturing, cure, and inspection processes to achieve consistent bond-line quality and structural performance.
• Execute DFM/DFA, PFMEA, control plans, and statistical process control (SPC) for bonded assemblies; drive first-pass yield and cycle-time improvement.
• Define in-process inspection and NDE strategies for bond-line integrity (e.g., visual, ultrasonic, and other approved methods) and support disposition of bonding-related nonconformances.
• Design or specify bonding fixtures, dispensing methods, vacuum bagging or pressure-application approaches, and cure tooling in partnership with Tooling & Automation.
• Support new product introduction and design changes by providing producibility input on joint design, tolerances, adhesive selection, and assembly sequence.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for disbonds, voids, porosity, contamination, incomplete cure, or related process escapes.
• Author and maintain work instructions, travelers, cure profiles, and process documentation compliant with AS9100 and customer requirements.
• Collaborate with suppliers on adhesives, primers, surface-treatment materials, and incoming quality of bond-critical components.
• Support process qualification and production ramp at Midland, TX and the Project Ranger campus in New Mexico.

Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.

Experience:

• 6–10+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or high-reliability bonded structures.
• 3+ years of hands‑on ownership of structural bonding processes (composite bonds, metal-to‑composite, elastomer-to‑composite, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated success qualifying bonding processes and transitioning them from development to production.

Technical Skills

• Strong practical knowledge of structural…