Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Radar

Why Castelion, Why Now Castelion is moving incredibly fast to develop and deliver advanced defense systems at a time when execution matters more than ever. We believe focus, ownership, and excellence are decisive advantages - and we're building a world-class team to turn bold ideas into real capability. This is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage, where you'll have significant ownership, collaborate with exceptional teammates, and make a direct, measurable impact on our mission and the future of the company - regardless of your function. Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Radar Castelion is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to own the development and scale-up of manufacturing for our radar systems. This is a unique opportunity to take a highly cost-effective radar architecture and build the manufacturing system required to produce it at a scale never before seen in missile applications. You will lead the transition from prototype hardware to repeatable, high-rate production, with ownership spanning PCBAs, RF electronics, electromechanical assemblies, manufacturing processes, test, tooling, automation, and production readiness. This role works directly with design engineering, supply chain, quality, test, and production to make radar hardware easier, faster, and more cost-effective to build while maintaining the reliability required for flight hardware. Responsibilities Own manufacturing engineering for radar hardware from early development through high-rate production Develop and scale manufacturing processes for PCBAs, RF electronics, radar modules, and electromechanical assemblies Partner with design engineering to drive DFM/DFA, reduce complexity, and improve manufacturability, yield, and cost Lead production readiness for new radar designs, including process development, tooling, work instructions, control plans, and process qualification Develop manufacturing and test strategies capable of supporting rapid increases in production rate Identify production constraints and implement tooling, automation, equipment, and process improvements to increase throughput Drive root-cause investigations and corrective actions for manufacturing defects Establish production metrics and use data to improve cycle time, first-pass yield, OEE, and manufacturing cost Work with suppliers and internal teams to industrialize critical radar components and processes Hire, develop, and grow the radar manufacturing engineering team while providing technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and technicians Basic Qualifications Requires minimum 25% travel to New Mexico if based in SoCal Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field 5+ years of manufacturing, production, or NPI engineering experience Experience scaling complex hardware from development into production Hands-on experience with PCBA/electronics manufacturing and electromechanical assemblies Demonstrated ownership of manufacturing projects and production problems Preferred Skills and Experience Experience with radar, RF, microwave, avionics, or other high-reliability electronics Experience scaling hardware into high-rate production Experience with SMT/PCBA manufacturing, electronics integration, and production test Experience developing tooling, automation, and manufacturing equipment Experience leading or building manufacturing engineering teams Castelion offers a generous benefits package. Please refer to the bottom of our Careers page for more details. Other Duties Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Additional Eligibility Requirements This position may require access to classified information or restricted U.S. Government sites, systems, or information, as determined by the Company and/or applicable U.S. Government requirements. If the position is so designated, your employment in the role may be contingent upon your ability to obtain and maintain the required U.S. Government security clearance or other government authorization, and to satisfy any citizenship or other eligibility requirements imposed by applicable law, regulation, executive order, or government contract requirements. You will be notified if and when such requirements apply. Affirmative Action/EEO Statement Castelion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Castelion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and hiring process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, participate in the interview process, or otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact hr@castelion.com. Requests for accommodation will be considered on an individual basis and handled in accordance with applicable law. Castelion is committed to fostering a workplace where employment decisions are based on qualifications, business needs, and the ability to perform the essential functions of the role, with or without reasonable accommodation. EAR/ITAR Requirements This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.