Senior Structures & Composites Engineer (Rocket Motor Cases)

Pow.bio; Rio Rancho (NM); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Long-term equity

Four weeks paid time off

Comprehensive health benefits

$100 monthly fitness stipend

Onsite EV charging

Job summary

Pow.bio in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, is seeking a Senior Structures & Composites Engineer to design and deliver high-performance rocket motor cases. The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of experience in structural and composite design, strong knowledge of composite materials, and proficiency in structural analysis tools. This position offers competitive benefits including long-term equity, paid time off, and health plans, along with a dynamic work environment focusing on aerospace innovations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in structural and composite design for aerospace applications.
• Strong background in composite materials, including failure criteria.
• Experience designing high-pressure pressure vessels or rocket motor cases.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop rocket motor case structures including COPVs.
• Perform structural analysis under various loading conditions.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices.

Skills

Composite materials expertise

Structural analysis tools proficiency

Problem-solving mindset

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ANSYS

Abaqus

NASTRAN

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 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 Structures & Composites Engineer (Rocket Motor Cases)

We are seeking a Senior Structures & Composites Engineer to design and deliver high-performance rocket motor cases for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. This role is critical to enabling lightweight, high-strength propulsion structures capable of withstanding extreme pressure and thermal environments. You will work hands‑on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate composite and metallic motor case structures in a fast‑paced, hardware‑driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop rocket motor case structures, including composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) and filament‑wound composite cases
• Lead the architecture and detailed design of motor cases, including load paths, interfaces, domes, bosses, and attachment features
• Perform structural analysis of pressure vessels under internal pressure, thermal loads, and dynamic environments to ensure performance and reliability
• Develop and analyze composite layups, fiber orientations, and manufacturing approaches to optimize strength, stiffness, and mass
• Work closely with propulsion, materials, manufacturing, and test teams to ensure seamless integration of motor cases with propulsion systems
• Support material selection, processing, and characterization for composite and high‑temperature materials
• Conduct failure analysis and root cause investigations, driving design improvements and risk reduction
• Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including pressure testing, proof/burst testing, and vibration testing
• Support prototyping, fabrication, and hardware bring‑up, including troubleshooting manufacturing and structural performance issues
• Optimize designs for mass efficiency, manufacturability, and operational reliability
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in composite and pressure vessel design
• Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in structural and composite design for aerospace or high-performance pressure vessel applications
• Strong background in composite materials, including filament winding, laminate theory, and failure criteria (e.g., Tsai‑Wu, Hashin)
• Experience designing pressure vessels, COPVs, or rocket motor cases for high-pressure applications
• Proficiency in structural analysis tools (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus, NASTRAN, or equivalent)
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes for composites, including winding, curing, and inspection methods (e.g., NDI/NDT)
• Experience with proof/burst testing and structural validation of pressure vessels
• Experience with hardware build, test, and troubleshooting in a lab or production environment
• Strong problem‑solving mindset, thriving in a fast‑paced, hardware-rich, high test cadence environment

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.

Benefits And Perks

All full-time employees are granted meaningful long-term equity, sharing in the company's significant growth trajectory. We offer four weeks of paid time off, ten company‑paid holidays, and comprehensive health benefits - including 100% employee‑covered medical and strong dependent coverage, along with dental and vision plans. We also provide paid parental leave to support growing families, a $100 monthly fitness stipend to promote health and performance, and onsite EV charging for convenience. In addition, employees enjoy perks like catered meals, company‑covered food during high‑demand periods, and a fully stocked kitchen to stay fueled throughout the day.

While this position does not currently require a U.S government‑issued security clearance, it may in the near future. Therefore, the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government‑issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

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.