Lead Integration & Test Engineer

Castelion Corporation•Torrance, CA

About The Position

Castelion is seeking a Lead Integration & Test Engineer to lead safe, reliable integration and verification of complete hypersonic missile vehicles, including structural, electromechanical, thermal protection, and energetic assemblies. The role owns end-to-end integration and test strategies from subassembly through full-vehicle level, supporting ground qualification, environmental testing, and flight-test campaigns for next-generation hypersonic strike weapons. The engineer will serve as the technical authority for vehicle-level integration and test, working closely with design, manufacturing, propulsion, radar, quality, and mission assurance teams to meet DoD standards and mission requirements. The role includes leading integration and test teams, developing safe processes, supporting rapid test-flight activity, and helping scale vehicle development toward low-rate initial production.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
At least 5 years of integration and test experience with complex aerospace or defense systems.
At least 3 years of experience working with flight hardware.
Demonstrated leadership of vehicle-level integration and test campaigns; missile or hypersonic program experience is preferred.
Strong experience with ordnance handling, safe-and-arm devices, and energetic-materials integration.
Proficiency in test automation using LabVIEW, Python, or MATLAB, as well as data acquisition systems and telemetry.
Hands-on experience with environmental testing and ordnance functional verification.
Experience with requirements management and configuration control.
Familiarity with 3D CAD for integration planning.
Ability to lead technical teams in high-stakes, safety-critical environments.
Excellent communication and presentation skills for executive and customer briefings.
Strong problem-solving skills under stringent safety and schedule constraints.
Ability to access applicable export-controlled information without requiring additional export licensing; government authorization or eligibility requirements may apply if the position is designated accordingly.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience on DoD missile, orbital launch, or other defense programs.
Background in fast-paced development environments.
Prior flight-test support at ranges.
Vehicle-level integration and test leadership on missile or hypersonic programs.

Responsibilities

Lead vehicle integration activities, including mechanical mating, electrical interface verification, and safe-separation testing.
Develop and execute vehicle-level Integration & Test plans covering functional checkout, ordnance arming sequences, environmental qualification, and system verification.
Design and commission integration tooling, test fixtures, and automated test equipment for full missile assembly.
Support flight-test preparation, range coordination, pre-flight checkout, post-flight data analysis, and anomaly resolution.
Investigate integration and test anomalies and drive corrective actions using FRACAS and fault tree analysis.
Mentor integration and test engineers and lead cross-functional teams during build and test campaigns.
Improve integration processes, test automation, and digital-thread implementation to accelerate iteration cycles.
Deliver the planned manifest of integrated Blackbeard vehicles, develop a plan to scale from development to low-rate initial production, and support a rapid test-flight cadence.
Develop safe vehicle integration and testing processes that ensure operator safety.
Build an integration and test engineering team capable of independently supporting future facility development and production execution.