Director of Manufacturing

Rio Rancho, United States | Posted on 08/06/2026

Castelion was founded to restore America’s ability to field advanced weapons at speed and scale. Inspired by the engineering urgency of the WWII and Apollo eras, we combine rapid iteration, vertical integration, and scalable manufacturing to deliver affordable, high-performance strike systems. Our mission: rebuild industrial agility to strengthen national security and outpace evolving threats.

About the Role

We're seeking a Director of Manufacturing to lead our Rio Rancho based manufacturing operations — our modern Arsenal of Democracy — delivering hypersonic capability at scale to deter future conflicts . In this pivotal leadership role, you will build and lead a world‑class manufacturing operation, pushing for innovation and operational excellence that positions us as the nation's premier hypersonic producer.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Engineering
  
• 10+ years in production/manufacturing operations or manufacturing engineering
  
• 5+ years in production/operations leadership
  
• Demonstrated success in scaling a production operation from development/prototype to high volume production
  
• Deep understanding of high-precision, complex aerospace hardware production — including metallic and composite fabrication, machining/welding/additive, tight-tolerance assembly, avionics, testing and acceptance, and NDE.
  
• Skilled at interpreting raw data, identifying trends or anomalies, and translating findings into clear, data-informed strategies.
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, cross-functional team — including production staff, manufacturing engineers, quality, supply-chain, and operations personnel — with emphasis on building culture, accountability, and continuous improvement
  
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and cross-functional collaboration skills to interface with engineering, quality, supply-chain, leadership, and possibly external partners or customers.
  
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, and compliance

• 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.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-stakes, high-reliability environment typical of aerospace/defense startups — able to make decisions under ambiguity, handle programmatic/contract demands, and adapt as priorities shift
• Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES/ERP/PLM), production data systems, material resource planning (MRP), and digital manufacturing workflows to manage operations, quality, change control, and configuration
• Strong background in manufacturing engineering practices, operations excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, process optimization, DFM/DFA, production flow and layout planning, tooling and automation)
• Deep knowledge of aerospace manufacturing standards and regulatory frameworks (e.g., AS9100, NADCAP, applicable military/defense manufacturing standards), including quality management, audit readiness, compliance, and export-control/ITAR requirements
• Extensive leadership experience (10-15+ years) in aerospace, defense, or high-complexity manufacturing, including several years at the sr. manager or director level leading cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated experience with manufacturing or production of energetic materials or systems — including propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics, or related energetic payloads — with deep understanding of safety, process control, and qualification 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.

• Employee Equity: Meaningful equity forall full-time employees - share value has increased 150x in three years
• Personal Time Off: Four (4) weeks of paid time off to unplug, reset, and come back sharp - velocity matters, burnout doesn't
• Medical: We offer plans at 100% employee covered and 80% of dependent coverage
• Dental & Vision: We cover 90% employees and 80% for dependents to ensure you and your family have access to quality preventive and ongoing care
• FSA/HSA: To support long-term health and financial resilience, we offer FSA and HSA options that allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible medical and dependent care expenses
• Retirement: 401k plan offered to support long-term financial growth alongside high-impact, high-velocity work
• Paid Parental Leave: We support growing families with meaningful time to bond and recover. Birthing parents are eligible for up to 10 weeks of paid leave, while non-birthing parents may take up to 4 weeks of paid leave. This time can be used for prenatal care, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical needs—ensuring every parent has the support they need during this important life moment. 8 weeks of paid parental leave for all parents. Additional paid pregnancy leave for CA employees
• Meals & Catering: Frequently catered lunches and team meals, plus company-covered meals when extra time or effort is required
• Snacks & Beverages: Fully stocked kitchen with unlimited snacks and drinks to keep you fueled throughout the day
• Performance & Fitness: $100 monthly fitness stipend to support peak performance and health, both inside and outside of work
• EV Charging: Onsite electric vehicle charging available for employees

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.