Program Manager

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. Program Manager As a Program Manager, you will lead the execution of advanced hypersonic weapon programs from initial concept through delivery, serving as the primary interface with U.S. Government customers and internal engineering teams. You will own program schedules, contractual commitments, and mission success, driving efforts from proposal through design, integration, flight test, and fielding. This is a hands-on program leadership role in a rapidly evolving startup environment where you will be tasked to lead multiple ongoing programs of varying sizes and complexity. You will operate at the intersection of engineering, program management, and customer engagement, ensuring that Castelion's weapon systems meet the needs of our customers. Responsibilities • Program Leadership: Serve as the primary customer interface, ensuring alignment between mission requirements and Castelion's technology roadmap. • Program Execution: Manage cost, schedule, and technical performance from contract award through integration, test, and deployment, delivering on all contractual milestones. • Proposal & Contract Management: Lead proposal efforts and contract negotiations, ensuring technical feasibility, cost effectiveness, and compliance with FAR/DFARS requirements. • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering to translate mission needs into product requirements, guide design reviews, and manage technical or contractual changes. • Customer Engagement: Lead program reviews, present technical and schedule briefings, negotiate requirements, and maintain strong relationships with government stakeholders. • Risk Management: Identify program risks early, develop mitigation plans, and maintain schedule fidelity under aggressive timelines. • Strategic Development: Shape new opportunities and architectures by collaborating with government and industry partners to inform future hypersonic strike capabilities. Basic Qualifications • Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field. • Excellent communication and technical writing skills, including preparation of CDRLs and technical data packages. • 8+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or national security programs. • Proven track record of excellence and achievement. • Deep familiarity with USG programs, acquisitions, and operational concepts. • Strong understanding of U.S. Government acquisition processes, contracting, and operational concepts. • Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-disciplinary engineering programs to cost and schedule. • U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance. Preferred Skills and Experience • Experience in a fast-moving environment with compressed timelines. • Familiarity with government acquisition processes, requirements decomposition, and systems verification. • Familiarity with rapid prototyping, OTA contracts, and accelerated development environments. • Active Top Secret/SCI clearance. 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.