Associate Build Reliability Engineer

Castelion; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Equity

Paid Time Off

Medical

401k

Parental Leave

Meals & Catering

Snacks & Beverages

Fitness stipend

Job summary

Castelion is seeking an Associate Build Reliability Engineer to drive reliability and quality improvements across design, manufacturing, and production. You will work with design, manufacturing, and operations teams to identify and resolve issues, analyze data, and implement processes that enhance product quality and manufacturing efficiency.

You will participate in reliability assessments, root cause investigations, and corrective actions, applying tools like FMEA, PFMEA, and MSA to prevent

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace, manufacturing, materials, mechanical engineering or physics.
• 3 years of relevant engineering experience in quality, reliability, or manufacturing roles.
• Experience with quality tools and data-driven problem solving is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, and operations to ensure reliability and quality across the product lifecycle.
• Support design reviews to ensure manufacturability and inspectability.
• Review and approve process plans, specs, and build documentation for compliance and quality objectives.
• Develop and implement manufacturing software to optimize production, quality, and change control.
• Facilitate engineering change control processes (ECR/ECO) with traceability and impact assessment.
• Support test validation methods and maintenance of Quality Control Processes and standards.

Skills

Manufacturing software

Data analysis

Root cause analysis

Quality improvement

Communication

Education

Aerospace engineering

Manufacturing engineering

Materials engineering

Mechanical engineering

Physics

Tools

FMEA

MSA

PFMEA

APQP

Metrology

Job description

Castelion is moving incredibly fast to develop and deliver advanced defense systems at a time when execution matters more than ever. We believe focus and technical excellence are decisive advantages - and we are building a team that can deliver real capability, not just concepts.

This is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage, where your work will directly shape critical systems, influence major technical decisions, and have immediate, real-world impact.

Associate Build Reliability

The Associate Build Reliability Engineer will support initiatives focused on improving the reliability and quality of our products throughout development and production. You will work closely with design, manufacturing, and operations teams to identify and resolve reliability and quality issues, analyze production data, and help implement processes and tools that improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality. You will participate in reliability assessments, root cause investigations, corrective actions, and continuous improvement activities, while developing your technical expertise and taking ownership of increasingly complex quality and reliability challenges.

Responsibilities

Design and Manufacturing

• Work closely with design, manufacturing, and operations teams to ensure reliability and quality considerations are integrated into all phases of the product lifecycle.
• Participate in Design and Build Reviews to ensure design for manufacturability and inspectability.
• Reviews and approves Process Plans, specifications, and build documentation for completeness, accuracy, regulatory compliance, and quality objectives.
• Support the development and implementation of internal processes and manufacturing software to optimize production efficiency, product quality, and change control.
• Facilitate the engineering change control process (ECR/ECO) with a focus on traceability and impact alignment to maintain clean configuration genealogy.

Inspection and Test Process

• Support appropriate test validation methods and inspection techniques have been considered to validate design and manufacturing processes.
• Support the development and maintenance Quality Control Processes, and Standards, and Planning, ensuring compliance with internal and external standards and regulations.
• Identify and implement new measurement equipment as required to achieve required inspections with maximum efficiency.
• Validates measurement and tests methods using process capability and measurement systems analysis (MSA) statistical tools. Propose solutions to remove the need to verify product conformance through measurement, e.g. poka-yoke.

Evaluates and analyzes production quality landscape

• Collect and analyze reliability and quality data to generate reports, identify trends, and recommend improvements to enhance product and process reliability and performance.
• Track quality and reliability performance against established targets and support regular reviews with engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams.
• Support investigations into product reliability and quality issues, helping teams understand impacts, identify potential root causes, and determine appropriate next steps.

Corrective Action Preventive Action

• Analyze reliability and quality data to identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for corrective and preventive action.
• Apply tools like FMEA, statistical analysis, and structured problem solving to identify and prevent quality and reliability issues.
• Participate in root cause investigations and support the development and implementation of corrective actions to address issues and prevent recurrence.
• Track corrective actions to completion and help evaluate their effectiveness using relevant quality and reliability data.

Nonconformance Management

• Support review of all nonconformance conditions for adequate resolution and rationale prior to closure.
• Lead containment functions to include impact and risk analysis.
• Oversee control of all non-conforming hardware

Compliance and Training

• Support implementation and adherence to Quality Management System policies and other regulatory requirements.
• Facilitate creation of training plans and materials for technician and inspector competency and ongoing maintenance of training plans.
• Develop training materials and provide support to end-users to ensure effective utilization of manufacturing and management system software.
• Provide day-to-day support to end users and help identify opportunities to improve system usability, process efficiency, and data quality.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on improving product reliability, reducing risk, and strengthening manufacturing processes.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering or physics.
• 3 years of relevant engineering experience in quality, reliability, or manufacturing roles.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Familiarity with manufacturing or enterprise software systems and an interest in improving manufacturing processes through effective use of software and data.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information to diverse audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record of implementing effective solutions to complex reliability and quality challenges.
• Experience working in a production or hands-on manufacturing environment, including supporting teams during new product introduction or production ramp-up.
• Familiarity with quality tools such as Lean principles, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action, Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Metrology, Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), Control Plans, and various problem-solving approaches.
• Demonstrated interest in continuous improvement and applying practical, data-driven approaches to improve quality, reliability, efficiency, and risk mitigation without compromising safety.
• Employee Equity: Meaningful equity for all 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 along side 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 pre-natal 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

Physical Demands

• Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed
• Must be able to travel up to 30%
• Must be able to lift more than 50lbs

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be (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.

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. Failure to obtain or maintain any required clearance or authorization may result in reassignment, leave, or separation from employment, consistent with business needs and applicable law.

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

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.

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.