Senior Propulsion & Ordnance Engineer

STEM Boomerang; Rio Rancho (NM); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee equity

Four weeks PTO

Medical coverage 100%

Dental & vision coverage

FSA/HSA options

Retirement plan 401k

Paid parental leave

Meals & onsite catering

Snacks & beverages

Fitness stipend $100/mo

EV charging onsite

Job summary

Castelion in Rio Rancho, NM, seeks Senior Propulsion & Ordnance Engineer to design ignition and energetic systems for long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. You will lead hardware development from concept through testing, partnering with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.

Applicants should have 5+ years in propulsion/ignition for aerospace or defense, strong knowledge of ignitors, detonators, and energetic materials, plus MATLAB/ANSYS proficiency and hands-on lab experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in aerospace, mechanical, materials science, or related field.
• 5+ years in propulsion, ignition systems, or ordnance/energetics for aerospace/defense.
• Strong background in ignitors, detonators, initiation systems, or shaped charges.
• Experience with energetic materials, initiation chains, and safe handling.
• Familiarity with flight termination hardware and systems.
• Experience with ground testing of energetic systems and data analysis.
• Proficiency in MATLAB, ANSYS, or equivalent tools.
• Hands-on hardware build and troubleshooting in lab/test environments.
• Strong problem-solving mindset in fast-paced, hardware-driven setting.

Skills

Propulsion systems

Ignition systems

Ordnance/energetics design

Aerospace/defense applications

MATLAB

ANSYS

Hardware build & testing

Data analysis

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field

Tools

MATLAB

ANSYS

Job description

Rio Rancho, United States | Posted on 08/06/2026

Castelion was founded to restore America’s ability to field advanced weapons at speed and scale. Inspired by the engineering urgency of the WWII and Apollo eras, we combine rapid iteration, vertical integration, and scalable manufacturing to deliver affordable, high-performance strike systems. Our mission: rebuild industrial agility to strengthen national security and outpace evolving threats.

About the Role:

We are seeking a Senior Propulsion & Ordnance Engineer to design and deliver ignition and energetic systems for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. This role is critical to enabling reliable motor ignition, flight termination, and stage separation through robust, high-performance energetic devices. You will work hands-on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate ignitors, detonators, destruct charges, linear shaped charges, and related systems in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
  
• 5+ years of experience in propulsion, ignition systems, or ordnance/energetics design for aerospace or defense applications
  
• Strong background in rocket motor ignitors, detonators, initiation systems, and/or explosive devices such as shaped charges or destruct systems
  
• Experience with energetic materials, initiation chains, and safe handling practices
  
• Familiarity with AFTS or flight termination systems and associated hardware
  
• Experience with ground testing of energetic systems, including instrumentation and data analysis
  
• Proficiency in analysis and modeling tools (e.g., MATLAB, ANSYS, or equivalent)
  
• Experience with hardware build, integration, and troubleshooting in a lab or test environment
  
• Strong problem-solving mindset, thriving in a fast-paced, hardware-rich, high test cadence environment
  
• Employee Equity: Meaningful equity forall full-time employees - share value has increased 150x in three years
  
• Personal Time Off: Four (4) weeks of paidtime off to unplug, reset, and come back sharp—velocity matters,burnout doesn't
  
• Medical: We offer plans at 100% employeecovered and 80% of dependent coverage
  
• Dental & Vision: We cover 90%employees and 80% for dependents to ensure you and your family haveaccess to quality preventive and ongoing care
  
• FSA/HSA: To support long-term health andfinancial resilience, we offer FSA and HSA options that allowemployees to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible medical anddependent care expenses
  
• Retirement: 401k plan offered to supportlong term financial growth along side high-impact, high-velocity work
  
• Paid Parental Leave: We support growingfamilies with meaningful time to bond and recover. Birthing parentsare eligible for up to 10 weeks of paid leave, while non-birthingparents may take up to 4 weeks of paid leave. This time can be usedfor pre-natal care, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medicalneeds—ensuring every parent has the support they need during thisimportant life moment.8-weeks of paid parental leave for allparents. Additional paid pregnancy leave for CA employees
  
• Meals & Catering: Frequently cateredlunches and team meals, plus company-covered meals when extra timeor effort is required
  
• Snacks & Beverages: Fully stockedkitchen with unlimited snacks and drinks to keep you fueledthroughout the day
  
• Performance & Fitness: $100 monthlyfitness stipend to support peak performance and health, both insideand outside of work
  
• EV Charging: Onsite electric vehiclecharging available for employees