Senior Thermal & TPS Integration 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 Thermal & TPS Integration Engineer We are seeking multiple Senior Thermal & TPS Integration Engineers to design and deliver thermal protection solutions for Castelion's long-range hypersonic strike vehicles. These roles are critical to ensuring vehicle survivability and performance in extreme aerothermal environments. You will work hands-on with multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, analyze, build, and validate TPS across the vehicle, including heat shields, control surface protection, and internal thermal insulation systems in a fast-paced, hardware-driven environment. Responsibilities Design and develop TPS across the vehicle, including heat shields, acreage TPS, and leading-edge protection systems Design TPS for control surfaces, including elevons, seals, and moving interface solutions that maintain performance under thermal and mechanical loads Develop internal thermal protection solutions, including insulators, blankets, and standoff systems to protect avionics and structures Lead the architecture and integration of TPS with primary structure, mechanisms, and subsystems, including attachment methods, gaps, and strain isolation Perform thermal and thermal-structural analyses to ensure performance under extreme aerothermal heating and transient environments Work closely with structures, materials, aerothermal, GNC, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless system integration Develop and evaluate materials and configurations, including ceramics, carbon-carbon, ablatives, and insulating materials Conduct tolerance analysis and assess thermal expansion, deformation, and interface behavior Support prototyping, assembly, and hardware bring-up, including troubleshooting and root cause analysis of TPS performance issues Define and execute qualification and environmental test plans, including arc-jet, furnace, and flight testing Optimize designs for mass, thermal performance, durability, and manufacturability Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in TPS design and integration 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, Materials Science, or related field 5+ years of experience in thermal protection system design, analysis, and validation for aerospace or high-temperature applications Strong background in aerothermal environments, heat transfer, and…