Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Flight Structures & TPS

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

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

Castelion is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to design and deliver flight vehicle structures for its long-range hypersonic systems. This role focuses on structures that interface with the thermal protection system (TPS) and high-temperature components, with hands-on work across multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced hardware-driven environment.

You'll lead architecture and detailed design of high-temperature assemblies, perform structural and thermal analyses, support prototyping

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in structural design and analysis for aerospace or high‑performance systems.
• Strong background in high‑temperature structures and materials, particularly in TPS‑adjacent or aerothermal environments.
• Experience designing separation systems, joints, and structural interfaces for flight hardware.
• Proficiency in CAD and analysis tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent).
• Experience with structural and thermal analysis, including thermal‑structural coupling and tolerance stack‑up.
• Familiarity with materials used in high‑temperature environments (e.g., ceramics, carbon‑carbon, refractory metals, or similar).
• Experience with hardware build, test, and troubleshooting in a lab or flight hardware environment.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset, thriving in a fast‑paced, hardware‑rich, high flight cadence environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop flight vehicle structures, including separating nose tip systems and other components critical to thermal protection system (TPS) performance
• Lead the architecture and detailed design of high‑temperature structural assemblies, including joints, interfaces, and load paths across TPS and primary structure
• Perform structural and thermal analyses to ensure performance and reliability under extreme aerothermal, pressure, and dynamic environments
• Work closely with materials, TPS, aerothermal, GNC, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless integration of structures with vehicle systems
• Develop and analyze separation mechanisms and interfaces, ensuring reliable and repeatable operation under flight conditions
• Conduct tolerance analysis and assess thermal expansion, material compatibility, and interface behavior at elevated temperatures
• Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring‑up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of structural and interface performance issues
• Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including thermal, vibration, and shock testing
• Optimize designs for mass, thermal performance, structural integrity, and manufacturability
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in high‑temperature structural design
• Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success

Skills

Structural design

Thermal protection

TPS integration

High-temperature materials

Mentoring

NX

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Job description

Castelion is seeking a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to design and deliver flight vehicle structures for its long-range hypersonic systems. This role focuses on structures that interface with the thermal protection system (TPS) and high-temperature components, with hands-on work across multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced hardware-driven environment.

You'll lead architecture and detailed design of high-temperature assemblies, perform structural and thermal analyses, support prototyping