Director of Manufacturing

Rio Rancho, United States | Posted on 08/06/2026

Castelion was founded to restore America’s ability to field advanced weapons at speed and scale. Inspired by the engineering urgency of the WWII and Apollo eras, we combine rapid iteration, vertical integration, and scalable manufacturing to deliver affordable, high-performance strike systems. Our mission: rebuild industrial agility to strengthen national security and outpace evolving threats.

We're seeking a Director of Manufacturing to lead our Rio Rancho based manufacturing operations — our modern Arsenal of Democracy — delivering hypersonic capability at scale to deter future conflicts . In this pivotal leadership role, you will build and lead a world‑class manufacturing operation, pushing for innovation and operational excellence that positions us as the nation's premier hypersonic producer.

• Bachelors degree in Engineering
• 10+ years in production/manufacturing operations or manufacturing engineering
• 5+ years in production/operations leadership
• Demonstrated success in scaling a production operation from development/prototype to high volume production
• Deep understanding of high-precision, complex aerospace hardware production — including metallic and composite fabrication, machining/welding/additive, tight-tolerance assembly, avionics, testing and acceptance, and NDE.
• Skilled at interpreting raw data, identifying trends or anomalies, and translating findings into clear, data-informed strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, cross-functional team — including production staff, manufacturing engineers, quality, supply-chain, and operations personnel — with emphasis on building culture, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and cross-functional collaboration skills to interface with engineering, quality, supply-chain, leadership, and possibly external partners or customers.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, and compliance

• All employees are granted long-term stock incentives as part of their employment at Castelion.
• All employees receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, and the company offers four weeks of paid time off per year.

• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-stakes, high-reliability environment typical of aerospace/defense startups — able to make decisions under ambiguity, handle programmatic/contract demands, and adapt as priorities shift
• Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES/ERP/PLM), production data systems, material resource planning (MRP), and digital manufacturing workflows to manage operations, quality, change control, and configuration
• Strong background in manufacturing engineering practices, operations excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, process optimization, DFM/DFA, production flow and layout planning, tooling and automation)
• Deep knowledge of aerospace manufacturing standards and regulatory frameworks (e.g., AS9100, NADCAP, applicable military/defense manufacturing standards), including quality management, audit readiness, compliance, and export-control/ITAR requirements
• Extensive leadership experience (10-15+ years) in aerospace, defense, or high-complexity manufacturing, including several years at the sr. manager or director level leading cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated experience with manufacturing or production of energetic materials or systems — including propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics, or related energetic payloads — with deep understanding of safety, process control, and qualification 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.

Employment with Castelion is governed on the basis of competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender,…