Head of Government Affairs

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. Head of Government Affairs The Head of Government Affairs will be responsible for leading Castelion's engagement with policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders across the federal, state, and local levels. This individual will develop and execute strategies to ensure Castelion's priorities are understood by decision-makers, regulatory hurdles are anticipated and addressed, and the company's policy environment enables rapid innovation and scaling. The role includes direct management of lobbyists and outside consultants, ensuring that all advocacy efforts align with Castelion's mission, values, and long‑term strategy. Responsibilities Federal Affairs Lead engagement with the Department of Defense, Congress, and relevant executive branch agencies (DoD, OSD, DARPA, DOE, FAA, State, Commerce, etc.). Develop strategies to shape legislation, authorization, and appropriations relevant to missile systems, industrial base policy, and acquisition reform. Build bipartisan relationships with Congressional members and staff across Armed Services, Appropriations, and relevant subcommittees. Track, analyze, and communicate policy and budget developments impacting Castelion's business. State and Local Affairs Oversee Castelion's relationships with state governments, governor's offices, and local municipalities in areas where the company operates manufacturing, testing, or corporate facilities. Engage community stakeholders to strengthen Castelion's reputation as a responsible local employer and national security contributor. Regulatory Affairs Anticipate and influence regulatory frameworks affecting Castelion, including ITAR, EAR, FAA/AST licensing, environmental regulations, and OSHA Build constructive working relationships with regulators to streamline approvals for testing, manufacturing, and exports. Lobbyist and Consultant Management Select, oversee, and manage external lobbyists and consultants to maximize effectiveness and alignment with Castelion's policy priorities. Coordinate messaging and advocacy campaigns across internal and external resources. Measure and report on the performance of external partners, adjusting strategy as needed. Strategic Leadership Serve as Castelion's voice in policy forums, trade associations, and coalitions focused on defense innovation and industrial base expansion. Develop a government affairs team and external consultant network as the company scales. Partner with communications and business development to align messaging and ensure consistency across audiences. Advise the executive team and board on policy risks, opportunities, and long‑term trends shaping the defense landscape. Basic Qualifications 10+ years of experience in federal government affairs, defense policy, or regulatory leadership roles. Deep understanding of defense acquisition, congressional processes, and regulatory environments governing aerospace and defense. Demonstrated ability to influence policy outcomes and build durable relationships with policymakers and regulators. Experience managing lobbyists, consultants, and external advocacy campaigns. Experience with state/local economic development, permitting, and incentive negotiations preferred. Strong communication skills able to translate technical and policy complexity into clear, persuasive advocacy. Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort operating in a fast‑moving, resource‑constrained startup environment. All employees are granted long‑term stock incentives as part of their employment at Castelion. All employees receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, and the company offers four 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr