Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Filament Winding

Castelion; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity for employees

Paid time off (4 weeks)

Medical coverage (100% employee)

Dental & vision coverage

401k retirement plan

Parental leave

Meal & catering

Onsite EV charging

Fitness stipend

Job summary

Castelion in Torrance, CA is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to own the development and qualification of filament winding processes, tooling and documentation. You will release work instructions and deliver first test-ready hardware such as motor cases, nozzles, or exit cones.

The role requires ownership of winding process parameters, machine programs, and non-destructive testing requirements, with opportunities to influence design for manufacturability and program success.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of composite manufacturing or filament winding experience.
• 5+ years of composite manufacturing or filament winding experience (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Define, document, and release manufacturing procedures, work instructions, tooling, and process flows for in-house production of filament wound components including motor cases, nozzles, exit cones, and related structures.
• Design and develop mandrels and production tooling for filament wound components.
• Develop and implement novel mandrel and tooling solutions where required (e.g., collapsible mandrels, soluble mandrels, bladder tooling, or other removable tooling approaches).
• Deliver first test-ready filament wound hardware supporting program development.

Skills

Filament winding

Composite manufacturing

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.

Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Filament Winding

We’re seeking a senior level Manufacturing Engineer to own the development and qualification of manufacturing processes, tooling and documentation required for filament wound components. This engineer will be responsible for releasing work instruction and delivering first test-ready hardware (motor cases, nozzles, exit cones, or similar structures)

They will also be responsible for owning and documenting all filament winding process knowledge including winding, bonding, curing, post processing and supporting of design teams with DFM guidance and manufacturability improvements.

Responsibilities

• Define, document, and release manufacturing procedures, work instructions, tooling, and process flows for in-house production of filament wound components including motor cases, nozzles, exit cones, and related structures.
• Design and develop mandrels and production tooling for filament wound components.
• Develop and implement novel mandrel and tooling solutions where required (e.g., collapsible mandrels, soluble mandrels, bladder tooling, or other removable tooling approaches).
• Deliver first test-ready filament wound hardware supporting program development.

Process Definition and Control

• Define and control critical filament winding process parameters, including fiber tension, resin content, winding angles and patterns, cure profiles, etc.
• Develop and maintain filament winding machine programs required for production of each component.
• Define production readiness requirements for filament winding operations and support sourcing of required equipment and staffing to meet program build rates.
• Create and maintain special process documentation, including work instructions, operator training materials, and controlled process specifications.
• Define and support non-destructive testing (NDT) requirements such as proof/burst testing, ultrasonic inspection, and radiographic inspection.
• Support development of material allowables through testing,and manage material supplier qualification and lot acceptance testing.

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of composite manufacturing or filament winding experience

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 5+ years of composite manufacturing or filament winding experience
• 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 available to work extended hours
• Sit or stand for up to 8 hours per day
• Lift up to 25lbs

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.