Director of Test Torrance, CA Engineering

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.

Director of Test

We are looking for a Director of Test to lead all development, flight, production, and energetics testing at Castelion. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring we have the technical and organization capabilities to test and qualify our missiles. You will drive technical direction while building the team to execute our testing goals safely and quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own Castelion’s overall test strategy and operating model across development, qualification, flight, and production testing, including mechanisms, structural, environmental, and energetics testing.
• Establish common test standards, readiness criteria, risk-management practices, and documentation, with appropriate rigor for development, qualification, flight, and production testing.
• Maintain a clear distinction between development and production testing: enable fast, pragmatic, and risk-informed development testing while establishing the rigor, repeatability, and traceability required for qualification and production. Ensure processes are lightweight and fit for purpose.
• Partner with Programs, Design Engineering, and Manufacturing Engineering to develop test capability roadmap.
• Build the test organization’s capabilities through recruiting, team development, facilities, equipment, software, and automation.
• Partner with Quality and EHS to ensure test plans, procedures, and operating practices appropriately address hardware reliability, personnel safety, and operational risk.
• Establish consistent processes for test planning, anomaly and failure review, corrective action, lessons learned, and risk acceptance.
• Collaborate with national test ranges on test planning, range safety, and test execution

Basic Qualifications

• B.S./M.S. in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Aerospace, or related field with 5+ years of experience
• Experience leading large teams in a fast-paced environment
• Proven track record of developing and managing large-scale structural test stands
• Deep knowledge of industry standards for test instrumentation, data acquisition systems, actuators, and test automation
• Experience with hazardous test and field operations
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals as well as knowledge of best practices for ground systems design

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with energetics handling and testing, including solid rocket motors and warheads
• Experience with production testing for medium to high-rate lines
• Knowledge of mechanisms testing and associated failure modes
• Experience with PLCs and industrial automation
• Background supporting flight test or launch operations
• Knowledge of flight testing of high-energy rocket systems and range safety

What We Value

• Hands-on rigor: deep understanding of systems through direct testing and failure analysis.
• Autonomy and ownership: you don't wait for direction you seek out what needs to be tested and make it happen.
• High standards for reliability, data quality, and test repeatability.
• Systems-level thinking: understanding how actuator behavior affects broader vehicle performance.

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 View email address on click.appcast.io. 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.

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.