Mechanical Assembly, Integration & Test Lead

Castelion Corporation•Rio Rancho, NM

About The Position

Castelion is seeking a hands-on Mechanical Assembly, Integration & Test Lead to own the physical assembly, integration, and testing of its long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. The role leads complete vehicle integration from early prototypes through qualification and production transition, establishing processes, tooling, and technical rigor for repeatable flight-hardware builds. It combines mechanical judgment with an understanding of electrical, avionics, propulsion, and structural interfaces, and involves working directly with engineers and technicians to resolve integration issues, execute ground and flight-test campaigns, and deliver flight-ready vehicles at a high cadence. This technical leadership role coordinates across design, manufacturing, systems, quality engineering, supply chain, vendors, fabricators, and subcontractors. It establishes vehicle integration strategies, procedures, equipment, acceptance criteria, and readiness assessments, and leads hands-on build, test, and issue-resolution work in a fast-paced hardware-development environment. The position may require access to classified information or restricted U.S. Government sites, systems, or information; if designated, employment may depend on obtaining and maintaining required clearances or authorizations and meeting applicable eligibility requirements. Access to export-controlled information is required, and employment is contingent on the ability to access applicable information without additional export licensing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical field.
8+ years of professional experience in aerospace, defense, or another high-reliability hardware environment, with significant responsibility for vehicle integration, assembly, testing, or production transition.
Demonstrated ownership of complex aerospace hardware from prototype development through qualification or production.
Experience leading hands-on assembly, integration, and test activities for complex mechanical or electromechanical systems.
Strong understanding of mechanical design, structural interfaces, fasteners, materials, tolerances, and assembly processes.
Experience integrating electrical, avionics, wiring, and power or data systems into mechanical assemblies.
Proficiency with 3D CAD software.
Ability to lead cross-functional technical work and resolve ambiguous, system-level hardware problems.
Ability to access applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required.

Nice To Haves

Siemens NX experience.
Experience with missiles, launch vehicles, spacecraft, aircraft, propulsion systems, or other complex flight vehicles.
Experience developing and executing qualification, environmental, functional, and acceptance test campaigns.
Experience with solid rocket motors, energetic systems, or propulsion-system integration.
Experience designing tooling, fixtures, ground-support equipment, or mechanical test equipment.
Experience with large-scale assembly operations, including lifting and handling, crane operations, facility logistics, and safe hardware flow.
Experience with instrumentation, data-acquisition systems, test automation, and data analysis using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools.
Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing and analysis of complex tolerance stack-ups.
Experience developing production processes, manufacturing bills of material, work instructions, inspection plans, and configuration-controlled build records.

Responsibilities

Own assembly, integration, and mechanical test processes for complete long-range hypersonic strike vehicle assemblies, including solid rocket motors, structural and composite components, mechanisms, electrical systems, and avionics.
Develop a deep understanding of vehicle-level interfaces, subsystem interactions, operational environments, and field use.
Define vehicle integration strategies, build sequences, test flows, acceptance criteria, and readiness assessments.
Partner with design, manufacturing, systems, and quality engineering teams to transition hardware from concept and prototype through qualification and production.
Evaluate designs for manufacturability, assembly, testability, serviceability, and producibility; drive requirements and design changes through technical reviews.
Develop, document, validate, and qualify manufacturing, assembly, and test processes.
Create and maintain work instructions, test procedures, manufacturing bills of material, inspection requirements, and quality standards.
Design and commission tooling, test stands, lifting equipment, jigs, fixtures, and other integration and test equipment.
Lead hands-on build and test operations alongside engineers and technicians, including flight-hardware assembly, subsystem installation, functional testing, environmental testing, acceptance testing, and test-data review.
Establish acceptance criteria, assess test results, and make technical recommendations for subsystem and vehicle readiness.
Lead fault isolation, root cause analysis, corrective action, and resolution of mechanical and cross-disciplinary integration issues.
Coordinate with supply chain, vendors, fabricators, and subcontractors to ensure components and subsystems are delivered in a configuration ready for vehicle integration.
Establish scalable processes that support rapid development while enabling repeatable, production-ready vehicle builds.
Balance technical rigor, safety, schedule, and program objectives in a fast-paced hardware-development environment.