Senior Mechanisms Engineer

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

Job summary

Castelion is seeking a Senior Mechanisms Engineer to design and deliver high-performance actuation systems for hypersonic flight vehicles. You will work with multidisciplinary teams to create elevon drive trains and precise control surface mechanisms in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.

The role requires 5+ years in aerospace mechanism design, proficiency in CAD/analysis tools, and hands-on experience with EMAs, motor-driven actuation, and rigorous testing under extreme conditions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of mechanism design, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high-performance mechanical systems.
• Experience with electromechanical actuators (EMAs) for aerospace or demanding applications.
• Familiarity with motor-driven actuation systems, gear reduction, torque transmission, and feedback.
• Proficient in CAD and analysis tools for high-load, high-reliability mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical actuation systems, elevon drive trains, control surface mechanisms.
• Lead architecture and detailed design of gear trains, linkages, bearings, and structural components.
• Analyze loads, stresses, deflections, and dynamic behavior for extreme environments.
• Collaborate with control electronics, GNC, avionics, and structures teams for integration.
• Define qualification and environmental test plans including vibration, thermal, and shock.
• Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, troubleshooting root causes.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to mechanism best practices.
• Partner with program leadership on technical trades aligned with mission.

Skills

Mechanism design

Analysis & validation

Aerospace experience

EMAs design

CAD tools

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Master's or PhD preferred

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Job description

Why Castelion, Why Now

Castelion is moving incredibly fast to develop and deliver advanced defense systems at a time when execution matters more than ever. We believe focus, ownership, and excellence are decisive advantages - and we're building a world-class team to turn bold ideas into real capability.

Why Castelion, Why Now

Castelion is moving incredibly fast to develop and deliver advanced defense systems at a time when execution matters more than ever. We believe focus, ownership, and excellence are decisive advantages - and we're building a world-class team to turn bold ideas into real capability. This is a rare opportunity to join at an early stage, where you'll have significant ownership, collaborate with exceptional teammates, and make a direct, measurable impact on our mission and the future of the company - regardless of your function.

Senior Mechanisms Engineer

We are seeking a Senior Mechanisms Engineer to design and deliver high-performance mechanical actuation systems for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. This role is critical to enabling precise and reliable control surface motion and deployment mechanisms under extreme flight conditions. You will work hands-on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate mechanisms such as elevon drive trains and related actuation systems in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop mechanical actuation systems, including elevon drive trains and control surface mechanisms, for high-speed flight vehicles
• Lead the architecture and detailed design of mechanisms, including gear trains, linkages, bearings, and structural components
• Perform analysis of loads, stresses, deflections, and dynamic behavior to ensure performance and reliability under extreme environments
• Work closely with control electronics, GNC, avionics, and structures teams to ensure seamless integration of mechanisms with vehicle systems
• Conduct tolerance analysis, lubrication strategy development, and life/reliability assessments for high-duty-cycle systems
• Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of mechanism performance issues
• Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including vibration, thermal, and shock testing
• Optimize designs for mass, stiffness, reliability, and manufacturability
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in mechanism design and analysis
• Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 5+ years of experience in mechanism design, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high-performance mechanical systems
• Strong background in gear trains, actuation systems, and precision mechanical design
• Experience designing electromechanical actuators (EMAs) for aerospace or similarly demanding applications
• Familiarity with motor-driven actuation systems, including motor selection, gear reduction, torque transmission, and position feedback mechanisms
• Experience designing control surface drive systems or similar high-load, high-reliability mechanisms
• Proficiency in CAD and analysis tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent)
• Experience with structural analysis, fatigue/life assessment, and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Familiarity with high-temperature materials, lubrication strategies, and operation in extreme environments
• 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

Castelion offers a generous benefits package. Please refer to the bottom of our Careers page for more details.

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.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

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.

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

Castelion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Castelion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and hiring process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, participate in the interview process, or otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact [e-mail]. Requests for accommodation will be considered on an individual basis and handled in accordance with applicable law.

Castelion is committed to fostering a workplace where employment decisions are based on qualifications, business needs, and the ability to perform the essential functions of the role, with or without reasonable accommodation.

EAR/ITAR Requirements

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.