Flight Test Engineer

Castelion; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Castelion in Torrance, CA is seeking a Flight Test Engineer to join the Test Operations and Logistics team. You will plan and execute flight tests, collaborating with a test director and engineering design teams to derive actionable insights for rapid production decisions.

The role is hands-on and fast-paced, requiring a Bachelor's degree in a related engineering field, 2+ years of flight/test experience, and the ability to travel up to 50% domestically. U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• 2+ years of missile, rocket, or flight vehicle testing experience.
• Hands-on experience with flight test instrumentation, telemetry systems, and ground control stations.
• Experience operating ground support equipment (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic).
• Excellent attention to detail and clear written/verbal communication.
• Willingness to travel domestically up to 50%.
• Eligible for U.S. security clearance (Secret or higher).

Responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate and execute flight test procedures and instrumentation diagrams.
• Support hardware integration of avionics, telemetry, propulsion, and flight control systems into flight test articles.
• Oversee pre-flight integration, ground control setup, instrumentation setup, and configuration control of test articles.
• Participate in flight readiness reviews and technical interchange sessions with internal and government stakeholders.
• Document test anomalies, root cause investigations, and corrective action implementation.
• Support real-time mission control operations and telemetry troubleshooting.

Skills

Aerospace engineering

Flight test

Telemetry systems

Ground control stations

Instrumentation setup

Test planning

Communication skills

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

MIL-STD-1553

Ethernet

CAN

Linux CLI

Spectrum analyzer

Job description

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.

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.

Flight Test Engineer

As a Flight Test Engineer at Castelion, you will be working within the Test Operations and Logistics team to execute a rapid iterative development and test campaign. You will work alongside a test director to plan and execute flight tests, following best practices and processes to document and communicate to internal and external stakeholders. This role is hands-on and collaborative, working closely with engineering design teams to ensure flight tests provide the insight in vehicle performance required to rapidly close on a production design.

Responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate and execute test procedures and instrumentation/test setup diagrams for flight tests.
• Support hardware integration of avionics, telemetry, propulsion, and flight control systems into flight test articles and ground test setups (vehicle/hardware in the loop).
• Oversee pre-flight integration, ground control setup, instrumentation setup, and configuration control of test articles.
• Participate in flight readiness reviews, test planning meetings and technical interchange sessions with internal and government stakeholders.
• Ensure proper documentation of test anomalies, root cause investigations, and corrective action implementation.
• Support real-time mission control operations, including monitoring and troubleshooting telemetry data streams.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• 2+ years of relevant experience in missile, rocket, or flight vehicle testing.
• Hands-on experience with flight test instrumentation, telemetry systems, and ground control stations.
• Hands-on experience with operation of ground support equipment (electrical, hydraulic and/or pneumatic).
• Exceptional attention to detail with clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary test environment.
• Ability to travel domestically up to 50 percent of time.
• Active U.S. Secret (or higher) security clearance or eligibility to obtain one.

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Experience interfacing with U.S. DoD customers and government flight test organizations.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet, and serial (CAN) communication protocols.
• Experience with command-line interface in a Linux environment.
• Experience with troubleshooting RF systems using equipment such as a spectrum analyzer.
• Experience with troubleshooting ground support equipment (electrical, hydraulic, and/or pneumatic).
• Experience with troubleshooting and repair of electrical harnesses and cabling.
• Experience with data reduction scripting tools such as MATLAB or Python.
• [Skills and experiences]

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 [e-mail]. 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.