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.

Director of Manufacturing

We're seeking a Director of Manufacturing to lead our Rio Rancho based manufacturing operations — our modern Arsenal of Democracy — delivering hypersonic capability at scale to deter future conflicts. In this pivotal leadership role, you will build and lead a world‑class manufacturing operation, pushing for innovation and operational excellence that positions us as the nation's premier hypersonic producer.

Responsibilities

Define and execute strategy to scale all Rio Rancho based production including solid rocket motor manufacturing, integration, and test and validation (HITL/VITL) from prototype to scaled production
Recruit, train/develop, and scale a diverse, high performing 250+ employee manufacturing team (technicians, leaders, and manufacturing engineers)
Support the implementation and refinement of production software systems and tools (MES, ERP, PLM, etc)
Oversee day-to-day production and manufacturing operations — including production scheduling, capacity planning, resource allocation, inventory and supply-chain coordination, materials flow, and facility/equipment management
Forecast and manage operational and capital expenditures.
Develop, implement, and refine KPIs to measure performance.
Lead continuous process development and improvement efforts to optimize yield, throughput, manufacturing cost, and production reliability across all production lines
Establish and maintain a culture that prioritizes safety, quality, speed and continuous improvement.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelors degree in Engineering
10+ years in production/manufacturing operations or manufacturing engineering
5+ years in production/operations leadership
Demonstrated success in scaling a production operation from development/prototype to high volume production
Deep understanding of high-precision, complex aerospace hardware production — including metallic and composite fabrication, machining/welding/additive, tight-tolerance assembly, avionics, testing and acceptance, and NDE.
Skilled at interpreting raw data, identifying trends or anomalies, and translating findings into clear, data-informed strategies.
Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, cross-functional team — including production staff, manufacturing engineers, quality, supply-chain, and operations personnel — with emphasis on building culture, accountability, and continuous improvement
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and cross-functional collaboration skills to interface with engineering, quality, supply-chain, leadership, and possibly external partners or customers.
Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, and compliance

Preferred Skills and Experience

Comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-stakes, high-reliability environment typical of aerospace/defense startups — able to make decisions under ambiguity, handle programmatic/contract demands, and adapt as priorities shift
Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES/ERP/PLM), production data systems, material resource planning (MRP), and digital manufacturing workflows to manage operations, quality, change control, and configuration
Strong background in manufacturing engineering practices, operations excellence, and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, process optimization, DFM/DFA, production flow and layout planning, tooling and automation)
Deep knowledge of aerospace manufacturing standards and regulatory frameworks (e.g., AS9100, NADCAP, applicable military/defense manufacturing standards), including quality management, audit readiness, compliance, and export-control/ITAR requirements