Test and Quality Engineer

About Castelion

Castelion is bringing a new approach to defense development and production: one that focuses on short, iterative design cycles, rapid testing in development, and modern commercial manufacturing strategies for production at scale. We're designing, building, and testing next generation long range strike weapons systems to give America and its Allies a definitive edge and deter future conflicts.

Position Overview

We're looking for our first Test and Quality Engineer - a hands-on, mission-driven builder who will define and execute our hardware test strategy from the ground up. If you've ever dreamed of building a test program, lab, and team from scratch at a high-urgency startup solving national security problems, this is that opportunity.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of defining system and subsystem-level qualification test programs from customer requirements
• Build out our internal test infrastructure select and procure equipment, set up labs, and establish procedures
• Design and run tests across environments: vibration, shock, thermal, corrosion, water ingress, drop, and more
• Own quality processes and documentation for all system-level testing and reporting
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, avionics, and propulsion engineers to ensure test coverage supports rapid development and eventual production
• Partner with leadership to plan for team growth and help recruit future test and quality team members

Basic Qualifications

• Proven experience designing and executing environmental and functional test programs ideally for flight or missile systems
• Strong understanding of defense qualification requirements (MIL-STD-810, DO-160, etc.)
• Hands-on builder comfortable wiring sensors, running tests, and troubleshooting hardware
• Ability to translate ambiguous customer requirements into test plans and verification strategies
• Someone who thrives in early-stage chaos and can scale a zero-to-one program into a robust team 

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience qualifying missile systems that have gone into production

Leadership Qualities

• Bias to Action and Creative Problem Solving. Desire and experience questioning assumptions in ways that lead to break through ideas that are ultimately implemented. Successfully bring in applicable processes/concepts/materials from other industries to achieve efficiency gains. The ability to personally resolve minor issues in development without requiring significant support.

• High Commitment, High Initiative. A successful candidate will have a genuine passion for Castelion's mission and consistently look for ways to contribute to the company's technical goals and prevent hardware blockers. Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere. Strong sense of accountability and integrity.

• Clear Communicator. Proactively communicates blockers. Trusted in previous roles to be voice of company with regulators, suppliers, gate keepers and customers. Capable of tactfully managing relationships with stakeholders to achieve company-desired outcomes without compromising relationships. Emails, IMs and verbal interactions are logical, drive clarity, and detailed enough to eliminate ambiguity.

ITAR 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, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

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.