Materials Engineering – Equipment Engineer (Automation & Controls)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Employee equity

PTO 4 weeks

Medical coverage

Dental & vision

FSA/HSA

401(k) plan

Parental leave

Meals & catering

Snacks & beverages

Fitness stipend

EV charging

Job summary

Castelion is seeking an Equipment Engineer specializing in automation and controls to support development and scale-up of wet chemistry manufacturing processes. You will design, integrate, commission, and optimize automated manufacturing equipment and support the transition from lab-scale to larger production systems.

The role blends hands-on equipment development with controls engineering, requiring you to develop control architectures, SOPs, and documentation while ensuring manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related engineering field.
• 1+ years of automation & controls experience in aerospace manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, integrate, and commission automated manufacturing equipment to support development and production.
• Develop PLC, HMI, motion control, sensor integration, and automation solutions to improve process capability and equipment reliability.
• Design and execute equipment qualification and process validation to optimize throughput, repeatability, and manufacturability.
• Collect, organize, and analyze equipment performance data to support optimization and readiness.
• Develop and maintain equipment documentation, electrical schematics, control logic, SOPs, and preventive maintenance records.
• Troubleshoot equipment, controls, instrumentation, and automation issues in a fast-paced development environment.
• Support scale-up activities by evaluating equipment performance across increasing production volumes and implementing improvements.

Skills

Automation & controls

PLC programming

Industrial automation

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Controls Engineering

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 Equipment Engineer specializing in automation and controls to support development and scale-up of wet chemistry manufacturing processes. This role is ideal for an individual interested in equipment design, industrial automation, process controls, and translating laboratory-scale chemical manufacturing operations into robust, production-ready systems.

The role combines hands-on equipment development with controls engineering responsibilities. The engineer will design, integrate, commission, and optimize automated manufacturing equipment, develop control architectures and standardized operating procedures, and support the transition of the process from laboratory-scale production to increasingly larger manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, integrate, and commission automated manufacturing equipment to support development and production activities.
• Develop PLC, HMI, motion control, sensor integration, and industrial automation solutions to improve process capability and equipment reliability.
• Design and execute structured equipment qualification and process validation activities to optimize throughput, repeatability, and manufacturability.
• Collect, organize, and analyze equipment performance and process data to support optimization and manufacturing readiness.
• Develop and maintain equipment documentation, electrical schematics, control logic, operating procedures, and preventive maintenance documentation.
• Troubleshoot equipment, controls, instrumentation, and automation issues in a fast-paced development environment.
• Support scale-up activities by evaluating equipment performance across increasing production volumes and implementing improvements to enable future production capacity.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Controls Engineering, or a related field.
• 1+ years of automation & controls expertise in aerospace manufacturing environment

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience designing, integrating, and troubleshooting automated manufacturing equipment.
• Familiarity with PLC programming, industrial controls, instrumentation, sensors, motion systems, and industrial communication protocols.
• Strong data analysis, root-cause investigation, and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to work independently in a hands-on engineering and manufacturing 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.