Explosives Safety & Operations Officer

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.  

Explosives Safety & Operations Officer

The Explosives Safety & Operations Officer provides hands-on explosives safety support for energetic manufacturing, development, assembly, and test activities across Castelion operations. Reporting to the Explosives Safety & Operations Manager, this role serves as a key field resource for explosives safety, supporting the safe planning and execution of high-hazard operations while helping implement and continuously improve Castelion's explosives safety program.

This position will be based at Castelion's New Mexico facility and will require significant travel to Midland, Texas, particularly as New Mexico operations are built out and commissioned. In the near term, this individual will rotate with Castelion's existing Explosives Safety Officer to provide consistent onsite coverage for solid rocket motor manufacturing, energetic operations, and testing in Midland.

Working closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Test Operations, and EHS, this role provides technical and operational explosives safety support, develops training and qualification programs, participates in hazard analyses and safety reviews, and helps establish practical controls that enable safe execution as operations scale.

Responsibilities

• Provide onsite explosives safety oversight for energetic manufacturing, assembly, and test operations, including solid rocket motor mix, cast, cure, assembly, and static-fire activities.
• Support implementation of Castelion's explosives safety program and compliance with applicable ATF, DoD 4145.26-M, quantity-distance, storage, and other explosives safety requirements.
• Conduct and participate in hazard analyses, explosives safety reviews, and operational readiness assessments for energetic processes, equipment, facilities, tests, and changes.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Test Operations to identify energetic hazards, establishappropriate controls, and support the safe development and execution of energetic systems and operations.
• Develop and maintain explosives safety procedures, operating instructions, training, and qualification requirements, including operation-specific training for new or changing energetic activities.
• Support explosive inventory, magazine, storage, accountability, and inspection requirements in coordination with Operations, Security, and EHS.
• Support the development and implementation of explosives safety protocols for unplanned or off-nominal conditions, including safe recovery, investigation, and disposition of energetic materials and components.
• Coordinate with Castelion's explosives safety team to maintain consistent standards, practices, training, and operational coverage across sites.
• Support the commissioning and operational readiness of Castelion's New Mexico energetic manufacturing and test capabilities, with significant near-term travel and rotational coverage at the Midland, Texas site.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Physical Science, Safety, Military Science, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
• Experience supporting energetic manufacturing, explosive operations, missile systems, solid rocket motors, munitions, or other high-hazard industrial operations.
• Working knowledge of explosives safety principles and applicable regulatory requirements, including ATF and DoD explosives safety standards.
• Experience participating in hazard analyses, operational risk assessments, safety reviews, or similar technical risk-management activities.
• Experience developing or delivering technical, operational, or explosives safety training.
• Ability to work hands-on in manufacturing and test environments and provide effective field-level safety support during dynamic operations.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across Engineering, Manufacturing, Test Operations, and EHS.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently between New Mexico, Midland, Texas, and other Castelion locations as operational needs require.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience supporting solid rocket motor manufacturing, energetic material processing, propulsion system development, or energetic testing.
• Experience applying DoD 4145.26-M, ATF requirements, quantity-distance criteria, or comparable explosives safety requirements in an operational environment.
• Experience with explosives site planning, magazine/storage requirements, or explosives safety reviews.
• Experience developing formal explosives safety training, qualification, or authorization programs.
• Experience supporting energetic material recovery, demilitarization, or disposition activities.
• Familiarity with Flight Termination Systems (FTS) or similar energetic systems.
• Prior experience in aerospace, defense, military, missile, propulsion, or munitions manufacturing.

Castelion offers a generous benefits package. Please refer to the bottom of our Careers page for more details.  

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. 

Additional Eligibility Requirements 

This position may require access to classified information or restricted U.S. Government sites, systems, or information, as determined by the Company and/or applicable U.S. Government requirements. If the position is so designated, your employment in the role may be contingent upon your ability to obtain and maintain the required U.S. Government security clearance or other government authorization, and to satisfy any citizenship or other eligibility requirements imposed by applicable law, regulation, executive order, or government contract requirements. You will be notified if and when such requirements apply. 

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement 

Castelion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. 

Castelion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and hiring process. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, participate in the interview process, or otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact [email protected]. Requests for accommodation will be considered on an individual basis and handled in accordance with applicable law. 

Castelion is committed to fostering a workplace where employment decisions are based on qualifications, business needs, and the ability to perform the essential functions of the role, with or without reasonable accommodation. 

EAR/ITAR Requirements 

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.