Lead Avionics Technician - PCBA

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. Role Overview The Avionics Lead – PCBA / Rework is a hands-on floor leadership role responsible for supporting board-level assembly, modification, repair, rework, and related avionics manufacturing activities. The Lead is expected to stay engaged with the technicians performing the work, identify technical and schedule risks early, remove blockers, and maintain strong communication with Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Responsible Engineers, Planning, and the Avionics Supervisor. This role requires strong technical judgment and a high level of attention to workmanship, process control, and risk to flight hardware. Responsibilities - Maintain daily visibility of PCBA and rework jobs in progress. - Identify technical blockers, material shortages, equipment issues, missing instructions, engineering questions, and schedule risks early. - Drive blockers to the correct support team and follow through until the issue is resolved. - Communicate delays and risks to the Avionics Supervisor before they impact schedule. - Serve as the first technical point of contact for technicians performing PCBA assembly and rework. - Support component removal, installation, replacement, jumper installation, wire modifications, staking, conformal coating, and board repair. - Review complex or high-risk rework before work begins. - Help determine the proper sequence, tooling, equipment, and process needed to perform rework safely. - Verify technicians are working to the correct revision, released rework instruction, component, orientation, and process. - Identify risks related to pads, traces, vias, laminate damage, heat exposure, cleanliness, ESD, or component damage. - Make sure technicians have the correct soldering equipment, tips, microscopes, materials, and tooling. - Coordinate with Quality for inspection points and final acceptance. - Make sure inspections are planned before work becomes inaccessible. - Support troubleshooting and disposition of workmanship or hardware issues. - Support first article and first-build activity. - Train and mentor technicians on PCBA workmanship and rework processes. - Reinforce IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-7711/7721, and internal workmanship requirements as applicable. - Identify recurring defects and process failures and work with Manufacturing Engineering on improvements. - Support development and review of clear rework instructions. - Maintain accurate status and clear communication during daily stand-ups and production meetings. - Help maintain organized, safe, and ESD-compliant work areas. Qualifications - Strong hands-on PCBA assembly and rework experience. - Experience with component removal and replacement, jumper wires, trace repair, staking, conformal coating, or similar board-level work. - Strong understanding of soldering workmanship and inspection requirements. - Working knowledge of IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and IPC-7711/7721. - Ability to read drawings, assembly instructions, schematics, and rework documentation. - Strong troubleshooting skills. - Experience working on high-reliability or flight hardware preferred. - Strong communication and organization skills. - Ability to train and mentor technicians. - Comfortable working directly with Engineering, Quality, Planning, and production leadership. - Must be proactive and willing to escalate technical and schedule risks early. 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.