Lead Integration & Test Engineer

STEM Boomerang; Rio Rancho (NM); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Equity

Four weeks PTO

100% employee health plan

Job summary

Castelion in Rio Rancho, NM, seeks a Lead Integration & Test Engineer to drive warhead-vehicle integration for hypersonic missiles. Lead end-to-end verification from subassemblies to full vehicle, coordinating with airframes, radars, propulsion, avionics, and thermal protection.

You will own test strategies, support ground qualification, environmental tests, and flight campaigns, and act as the technical authority on integration, working with DoD standards and mission requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace or related field required.
• 8+ years in integration and test for aerospace/defense systems.
• 4+ years with warheads, munitions, or energetic systems integration.
• Leadership of vehicle-level integration and test campaigns on missile programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end warhead-vehicle integration and test strategies.
• Coordinate ground qualification, environmental testing, and flight campaigns.
• Serve as technical authority on warhead-vehicle integration per DoD standards.

Skills

Aerospace integration

Defense systems

Leadership

Problem solving

Communication

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

Test automation

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace/Mechanical/Systems Engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

3D CAD

Job description

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 are seeking a Lead Integration & Test Engineer with deep expertise in the integration and verification of warhead systems into complete hypersonic missile vehicles. This role focuses on leading the safe and reliable integration of warheads (including energetics, fuzing, safe-and-arm devices, and structural interfaces) with missile airframes, radars, propulsion, avionics, and thermal protection systems. You will own end-to-end integration & test strategies from subassembly through full vehicle level, supporting ground qualification, environmental testing, and flight test campaigns for next-generation hypersonic strike weapons. You will serve as the technical authority on warhead-vehicle integration and test, collaborating closely with design, manufacturing, propulsion, radar, quality, and mission assurance teams to meet stringent DoD standards and mission requirements.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.

Experience:

• 8+ years in integration and test for complex aerospace or defense systems.
• 4+ years specifically working with warheads, munitions, or energetic systems integration.
• Demonstrated leadership of vehicle-level integration and test campaigns, preferably on missile or hypersonic programs.

Technical Skills

• Strong experience with ordnance handling, safe-and-arm devices, and energetic materials integration.
• Proficiency in test automation (LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB), data acquisition systems, and telemetry.
• Hands-on with environmental testing and ordnance functional verification.
• Requirements management and configuration control.
• Familiarity with 3D CAD for integration planning.

Preferred Experience

• Direct experience on DoD missile or hypersonic warhead programs.
• Background in fast-paced development environments
• Knowledge of insensitive munitions and advanced warhead designs.
• Experience with classified programs and TS/SCI level work.

Soft Skills

• Proven ability to lead technical teams in high-stakes, safety-critical environments.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for executive and customer briefings.
• Strong problem-solving under stringent safety and schedule constraints.
• Employee Equity: Meaningful equity forall full-time employees - share value has increased 150x in three years
• Personal Time Off: Four (4) weeks of paidtime off to unplug, reset, and come back sharp—velocity matters,burnout doesn't
• Medical: We offer plans at 100% employeecovered and 80% of dependent coverage
• Dental & Vision: We cover 90%employees and 80% for dependents to ensure you and your family haveaccess to quality preventive and ongoing care
• FSA/HSA: To support long-term health andfinancial resilience, we offer FSA and HSA options that allowemployees to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible medical anddependent care expenses
• Retirement: 401k plan offered to supportlong term financial growth along side high-impact, high-velocity work
• Paid Parental Leave: We support growingfamilies with meaningful time to bond and recover. Birthing parentsare eligible for up to 10 weeks of paid leave, while non-birthingparents may take up to 4 weeks of paid leave. This time can be usedfor pre-natal care, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medicalneeds—ensuring every parent has the support they need during thisimportant life moment.8-weeks of paid parental leave for allparents. Additional paid pregnancy leave for CA employees
• Meals & Catering: Frequently cateredlunches and team meals, plus company-covered meals when extra timeor effort is required
• Snacks & Beverages: Fully stockedkitchen with unlimited snacks and drinks to keep you fueledthroughout the day
• Performance & Fitness: $100 monthlyfitness stipend to support peak performance and health, both insideand outside of work
• EV Charging: Onsite electric vehiclecharging available for employees