Senior RF & Radome Mechanical Design Engineer

Castelion; Rio Rancho (NM); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Castelion seeks a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to design RF-critical radomes and packaging for long-range hypersonic vehicles. You will develop RF-transparent structures, integrate RF subsystems, and ensure thermal and structural reliability in extreme environments.

You will collaborate across RF, avionics, materials, and thermal teams, performing analyses, prototyping, and qualification testing to meet mission requirements while optimizing for mass and manufacturability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in mechanical design for aerospace or high-performance systems.
• Experience designing radomes, RF-transparent structures, or packaging for RF/antenna systems.
• Familiarity with RF performance considerations such as dielectric properties, insertion loss, and boresight error.
• Strong background in structural and thermal analysis for extreme environments.
• Proficiency in CAD and analysis tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent).
• Experience with tolerance stack-up, alignment, and precision assembly design.
• Familiarity with materials used in RF applications (e.g., ceramics, composites, low-loss dielectrics) and high-temperature 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.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop RF-transparent structures, including radomes, windows, and associated support structures for high-speed flight vehicles.
• Lead the architecture and detailed design of RF subsystem packaging, including mounting, alignment, and environmental protection of antennas, seekers, and electronics.
• Perform structural and thermal analyses to ensure performance and reliability under extreme aerothermal, pressure, and dynamic environments.
• Work closely with RF, avionics, materials, and thermal teams to ensure designs meet RF performance requirements while maintaining structural integrity.
• Develop and analyze interfaces between radomes, TPS, and primary structure, including sealing, attachment, and thermal isolation strategies.
• Conduct tolerance analysis and assess alignment sensitivity and deformation impacts on RF performance.
• Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of structural and RF performance issues.
• Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including thermal, vibration, and RF testing.
• Optimize designs for mass, thermal performance, RF transparency, and manufacturability.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in RF structure and packaging design.
• Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success.

Skills

RF design

Radomes

RF packaging

Structural analysis

Thermal analysis

CAD

NX

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Tolerance analysis

Aerospace

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Job description

Castelion seeks a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to design RF-critical radomes and packaging for long-range hypersonic vehicles. You will develop RF-transparent structures, integrate RF subsystems, and ensure thermal and structural reliability in extreme environments.

You will collaborate across RF, avionics, materials, and thermal teams, performing analyses, prototyping, and qualification testing to meet mission requirements while optimizing for mass and manufacturability.