Senior Mechanisms Engineer

Senior Mechanisms Engineer Torrance, California, United States Apply for Position Or refer someone Job Openings Senior Mechanisms Engineer About the job Senior Mechanisms Engineer 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 Mechanisms Engineer We are seeking a Senior Mechanisms Engineer to design and deliver high-performance mechanical actuation systems for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. This role is critical to enabling precise and reliable control surface motion and deployment mechanisms under extreme flight conditions. You will work hands-on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate mechanisms such as elevon drive trains and related actuation systems in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment. Responsibilities Design and develop mechanical actuation systems, including elevon drive trains and control surface mechanisms, for high-speed flight vehicles Lead the architecture and detailed design of mechanisms, including gear trains, linkages, bearings, and structural components Perform analysis of loads, stresses, deflections, and dynamic behavior to ensure performance and reliability under extreme environments Work closely with control electronics, GNC, avionics, and structures teams to ensure seamless integration of mechanisms with vehicle systems Conduct tolerance analysis, lubrication strategy development, and life/reliability assessments for high-duty-cycle systems Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of mechanism performance issues Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including vibration, thermal, and shock testing Optimize designs for mass, stiffness, reliability, and manufacturability Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in mechanism design and analysis Partner closely with program leadership to make technical trades aligned with mission success Basic Qualifications Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field 5+ years of experience in mechanism design, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high-performance mechanical systems Strong background in gear trains, actuation systems, and precision mechanical design Experience designing electromechanical actuators (EMAs) for aerospace or similarly demanding applications Familiarity with motor-driven actuation systems, including motor selection, gear reduction, torque transmission, and position feedback mechanisms Experience designing control surface drive systems or similar high-load, high-reliability mechanisms Proficiency in CAD and analysis tools (e.g., NX, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent) Experience with structural analysis, fatigue/life assessment, and tolerance stack-up analysis Familiarity with high-temperature materials, lubrication strategies, and operation in extreme 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 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...