Explosives Safety Lead

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.

Explosives Safety Lead

Castelion is seeking an Explosives Safety Lead to stand up and scale explosives safety across our Rio Rancho and Midland sites. This role is critical to enabling rapid, high-consequence testing and production while maintaining rigorous safety standards.

You will define how explosives safety is implemented in a fast-paced development environment—building systems, processes, and training that allow teams to move quickly and safely. You will work side-by-side with engineering, test, and operations teams to ensure safety is embedded early and often, not applied after the fact.

Responsibilities

• Develop site explosives safety plans covering storage, handling, testing, and operations
• Establish a streamlined safety review process that enables rapid testing with clear controls and accountability
• Lead hazard analyses and integrate risk controls into design and test planning
• Build and deliver training for personnel working with and around energetics
• Develop emergency response plans for explosives-related scenarios
• Ensure compliance with ATF regulations and support broader EHS programs
• Identify risks associated with explosives work and implement practical mitigations
• Partner with engineering, test, and operations teams to embed safety into execution

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field OR equivalent years of experience
• 7+ years of experience in explosives or energetics safety
• Familiarity with DoD explosives safety standards and OSHA PSM
• Experience with hazard analysis methods
• Working knowledge of ATF explosives regulations
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience building or scaling explosives safety programs
• Background in aerospace, defense, or test operations
• Familiarity with quantity-distance requirements and facility siting
• Experience supporting test teams and range operations

All employees are granted long-term stock incentives as part of their employment as Castelion. All employees receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, and the company offers three weeks of paid time off per year.

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. 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.