Manufacturing Engineer, Equipment Torrance, CA; Rio Rancho, NM Mechanical Engineering

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.

Castelion is seeking a highly motivated Manufacturing Engineer to design, build, operate, and maintain equipment used in the manufacture of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials and components. This role is focused on developing practical manufacturing solutions, improving equipment reliability, and supporting production operations through hands-on engineering.

This is a highly hands-on position for someone who enjoys building hardware and solving real-world manufacturing problems. The ideal candidate has experience designing, fabricating, assembling, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems through internships, manufacturing experience, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, rocketry, robotics, motorsports, machine shop projects, or other highly hands-on engineering programs.

The successful candidate will spend significant time on the production floor working directly with manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, instrumentation, and process systems. Responsibilities range from designing and building new equipment to maintaining existing systems and supporting daily manufacturing operations.

• Design, build, assemble, and test manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, and support systems used in CMC production.
• Develop modifications and upgrades to existing production equipment to improve performance, reliability, safety, and throughput.
• Lead equipment development projects from concept through implementation, including requirements definition, design, fabrication, testing, and commissioning.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, vacuum, thermal, and process-related equipment issues to identify root cause and implement corrective actions.
• Partner with Facilities and Maintenance teams to support equipment reliability, maintenance planning, repairs, and uptime improvements.
• Support installation, commissioning, qualification, and startup of new equipment and production systems.
• Create engineering drawings, equipment layouts, bills of material, and technical documentation.
• Develop manufacturing work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), equipment operating procedures, and nonconformance documentation.
• Collect and analyze equipment and production performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Work closely with technicians, production personnel, facilities, and engineering teams to rapidly resolve manufacturing issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on equipment capability, process stability, and manufacturing efficiency.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Demonstrated hands-on engineering experience designing, building, testing, or troubleshooting hardware.
• Experience with CAD and engineering drawings.
• Comfortable using hand tools, power tools, measurement equipment, and basic fabrication equipment.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to diagnose and solve equipment problems.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to support off-shift production, maintenance, or testing activities when required.

• Formula SAE, Baja SAE, collegiate rocketry, robotics competition, motorsports, machine shop, or equivalent hands-on engineering experience.
• Experience with vacuum systems, thermal processing equipment, furnaces, reactors, or other industrial equipment.
• Familiarity with machining, welding, fabrication, and assembly processes.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations in aerospace, automotive, energy, or other high-performance industries.
• Familiarity with root cause analysis, equipment reliability, and continuous improvement methodologies.

Castelion offers a generous benefits package. Please refer to the bottom of our Careers page for more details.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive…