Materials Engineer - Chemist

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

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Paid time off

Medical insurance

Dental & vision

401k retirement plan

Parental leave

Meals provided

EV charging onsite

Job summary

Castelion is seeking a highly motivated chemist to support development and scale-up of a proprietary wet chemistry process central to production of next-generation aerospace materials. This role combines hands-on laboratory work with analytical process development to translate lab-scale chemistry into robust manufacturing procedures.

You will execute multi-step syntheses, characterize products, develop SOPs, and assist in transferring the process from R&D to larger-scale production, contributing

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemistry or a related field is required.
• At least 1+ year of wet chemistry synthesis experience.
• Experience with analytical characterization techniques is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Execute and monitor multi-step wet chemistry synthesis processes.
• Design experiments to optimize conditions, yields, purity and repeatability.
• Characterize intermediates and final products using standard methods.
• Analyze process and data to support optimization and readiness.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, batch records, and documentation.
• Troubleshoot issues in a fast-paced development setting.
• Support scale-up to larger production and improve processing

Skills

Wet chemistry synthesis

Experimental design

Data analysis

Technical documentation

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or related field

Tools

GC

GC-MS

FTIR

NMR

Chromatography

DSC

TGA

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.

Castelion is seeking a highly motivated chemist to support development and scale-up of a proprietary wet chemistry process that is central to production of next-generation aerospace materials. This role is ideal for an individual interested in reaction development, process optimization, and translating laboratory-scale chemistry into robust manufacturing processes.

The role combines hands-on laboratory chemistry with analytical process development responsibilities. The chemist will execute and optimize multi-step chemical syntheses, characterize reaction products, develop standardized operating procedures, and support the transition of the process from laboratory-scale production to increasingly larger manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

• Execute and monitor multi-step wet chemistry synthesis processes to support development and production activities.
• Design and perform experiments to optimize reaction conditions, yields, purity, and process repeatability using structured experimental methodologies.
• Characterize reaction intermediates and final products using standard analytical laboratory techniques.
• Collect, organize, and analyze process and analytical data to support process optimization and manufacturing readiness.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, work instructions, batch records, and standardized operating procedures.
• Troubleshoot reaction, purification, and process issues in a fast-paced development environment.
• Support scale-up activities by evaluating reaction performance across increasing batch sizes and implementing process improvements to enable future production capacity.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or a related field.
• 1+ years of wet chemistry synthesis experience

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience with wet chemistry processing, hazardous chemical handling, and laboratory-scale synthesis.
• Familiarity with standard analytical characterization techniques (e.g., GC, GC-MS FTIR, NMR, Chromatography, DSC, TGA, or equivalent).
• Strong experimental design, data analysis, and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to work independently in a hands-on laboratory environment.
• 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 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.

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.