Senior Composites R&D Technician - Layup - Castelion Corporation | Career Page Castelion Corporation Senior Composites R&D Technician - Layup Torrance, California, United States Apply for Position Or refer someone Job Openings Senior Composites R&D Technician - Layup About the job Senior Composites R&D Technician - Layup About Castelion Castelion is bringing a new approach to defense development and production: one that focuses on short, iterative design cycles, rapid testing in development, and modern commercial manufacturing strategies for production at scale. We're designing, building, and testing next generation long range strike weapons systems to give America and its Allies a definitive edge and deter future conflicts. Senior Composites R&D Technician - Layup Castelion is seeking a Sr. Composites R&D Technician to own and advance layup processes for high-temperature composite structures. This role is hands-on and central to developing scalable manufacturing approaches for advanced materials, including ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). You will serve as a technical anchor on the shop floor—driving process development, executing builds, and establishing best practices that enable consistent, repeatable production.
Responsibilities Develop and refine layup processes for high-temperature composite materials, including prepreg-based CMC panels Execute hands-on layup, molding, and fabrication activities to support rapid development and testing Establish and maintain standards for consumables, layup techniques, and shop processes Support tooling design and fabrication for composite part production Partner with engineering to iterate on materials and process development Document processes and ensure repeatability as production scales Basic
Qualifications 5+ years of experience in composites layup, ideally in aerospace or high-performance applications Experience with high-temperature composite materials Hands-on expertise with prepreg layup processes Familiarity with press molding and/or filament winding Experience supporting or developing manufacturing processes Preferred Skills and Experience Experience with ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) Background in tool making for composite parts Experience in R&D or early-stage manufacturing environments Ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, low-structure setting All employees are granted long-term stock incentives as part of their employment as Castelion. All employees receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, and the company offers three weeks of paid time off per year. Leadership Qualities Bias to Action and Creative Problem Solving . Desire and experience questioning assumptions in ways that lead to break through ideas that are ultimately implemented. Successfully bring in applicable processes/concepts/materials from other industries to achieve efficiency gains. Ability to personally resolve minor issues in development without requiring significant support. High Commitment, High Initiative . A successful candidate will have a genuine passion for Castelion's mission and consistently look for ways to contribute to the company's technical goals and prevent hardware blockers. Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere. Strong sense of accountability and integrity. Clear Communicator . Proactively communicates blockers. Trusted in previous roles to be voice of company with regulators, suppliers, gate keepers and customers. Capable of tactfully managing relationships with stakeholders to achieve company-desired outcomes without compromising relationships. Emails, IMs and verbal interactions are logical, drive clarity, and detailed enough to eliminate ambiguity. ITAR
Requirements: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. 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. Apply for Position Or refer someone Share Facebook Line LinkedIn X (Formerly Twitter) Whatsapp Email Powered by Manatal
Castelion is a modern defense production company building long-range hypersonic strike systems to address a critical national security gap. Founded in 2021, Castelion was created in response to the recognized need for the United States to rapidly develop hypersonic capabilities to remain competitive with near-peer adversaries and deter future conflicts.
The company operates under the philosophy of "Peace through Deterrence" — building the weapons systems that ensure conflicts never need to happen. Castelion is one of the few companies in the hypersonics space that has moved beyond concepts to actual production deliverables, with government contracts across multiple branches of the military and a $23M+ Navy order for 50 units in calendar year 2027.
Backed by over $469M in funding from top-tier investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and General Catalyst, Castelion is scaling rapidly. The company is building what it anticipates will become the preeminent hypersonics campus in the country — including a $150M, 1,000-acre solid rocket motor manufacturing facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, alongside its headquarters in Torrance, California.
Castelion's culture is defined by technical excellence, ownership, and velocity. Engineers own meaningful subsystems on the vehicle and are responsible for driving their success. The company follows a responsible engineering model inspired by SpaceX, where individuals choose the highest-value work and are empowered to cultivate resources and partnerships to deliver results. The engineering bar is exceptionally high — attracting elite talent who want to be surrounded by other elite talent.
Salary
$55,000 - $200,000
Location
Torrance, California
Experience
5+ years
Total raised
$464.0M
Last stage
Growth
Investors
No applications, no recruiter spam. Just the intro.
A few questions to make sure this role is the right shape for you. Two minutes.
I write the intro, send it to the founder, and handle the back-and-forth.
If they’re a yes, I book the chat. You show up — that’s the whole job-hunt.