Senior Thermal & TPS Integration Engineer

Castelion Corporation•Rio Rancho, NM

15h•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking multiple Senior Thermal & TPS Integration Engineers to design and deliver thermal protection solutions for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. These roles are critical to ensuring vehicle survivability and performance in extreme aerothermal environments. You will work hands-on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate TPS across the vehicle, including heat shields, control surface protection, and internal thermal insulation systems in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
5+ years of experience in thermal protection system design, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high-temperature applications
Strong background in aerothermal environments, heat transfer, and high-temperature materials
Experience designing TPS for flight vehicles, including heat shields, control surfaces, or internal insulation systems
Familiarity with TPS materials such as ceramics, carbon-carbon, ablatives, and insulating blankets
Experience with seals, gaps, and interface design in high-temperature, moving or constrained systems
Proficiency in thermal and structural analysis tools (e.g., ANSYS, MATLAB, or equivalent)
Experience with high-temperature testing methods (e.g., arc-jet, furnace, or similar)
Experience with hardware build, test, and troubleshooting in a lab or flight hardware environment
Strong problem-solving mindset, thriving in a fast-paced, hardware-rich, high flight cadence environment
U.S. citizenship is required

Nice To Haves

Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government–issued security clearance

Responsibilities

Design and develop TPS across the vehicle, including heat shields, acreage TPS, and leading-edge protection systems
Design TPS for control surfaces, including elevons, seals, and moving interface solutions that maintain performance under thermal and mechanical loads
Develop internal thermal protection solutions, including insulators, blankets, and standoff systems to protect avionics and structures
Lead the architecture and integration of TPS with primary structure, mechanisms, and subsystems, including attachment methods, gaps, and strain isolation
Perform thermal and thermal-structural analyses to ensure performance under extreme aerothermal heating and transient environments
Work closely with structures, materials, aerothermal, GNC, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless system integration
Develop and evaluate materials and configurations, including ceramics, carbon-carbon, ablatives, and insulating materials
Conduct tolerance analysis and assess thermal expansion, deformation, and interface behavior
Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of TPS performance issues
Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including arc-jet, furnace, and flight testing
Optimize designs for mass, thermal performance, durability, and manufacturability
Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in TPS design and integration
Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success

Benefits

Meaningful long-term equity
Four (4) weeks of paid time off
Ten (10) company-paid holidays
Comprehensive health benefits - including 100% employee-covered medical and strong dependent coverage
Dental plans
Vision plans
Paid parental leave
$100 monthly fitness stipend
Onsite EV charging
Catered meals
Company-covered food during high-demand periods
Fully stocked kitchen