Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Hypersonic TPS

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology to enable next-generation capabilities from space. By combining high-performance materials, precision aerodynamics, and mission-driven autonomy, Inversion is transforming reentry into an operational capability for an entirely new class of missions.

The company’s highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and other national security missions that require precise, controlled flight through the atmosphere. Arc creates an entirely new transportation domain, unlocking unprecedented speed and global reach.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates its spacecraft under one roof, enabling the company to move rapidly from concept to flight. The company is backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, with customers across the U.S. government and commercial space industry.

Position Overview:

Inversion’s reentry vehicles are pushing the limits of hypersonic flight and our Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) are critical to success. As a TPS Design Engineer, you will work alongside Inversion’s aerothermal and structures teams to design, manufacture and integrate a high performance, cost effective TPS for Inversion’s lifting-body reentry vehicles.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design cutting edge thermal protection systems for Inversion’s Arc vehicle.
• Organize development and qualification testing of TPS materials and installations.
• Develop accelerated TPS integration methods to reduce manufacturing time.
• Develop the analysis and design workflow of the flight heatshields for flight vehicles.
• Explore trades between TPS materials and manufacturing methods.
• Work with outside vendors, suppliers, and testing resources to bring new materials, capabilities, and processes in-house at Inversion.

• Bachelor’s degree in Material Science, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Chemical Engineering OR equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Typically, 5+ years of professional experience working with, formulating, or producing materials for extreme temperature environments (Reentry, Rocketry, Hypersonics, Propulsion, Nuclear Power, etc.).
• Experience using Siemens NX or similar CAD software.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

• Professional experience in design, testing, and integration of thermal protection systems for hypersonic or reentry flight vehicles.
• Professional experience working with, formulating, or producing ablative or ceramic TPS.
• Strong understanding of the fundamentals behind aerothermal heating of reentry vehicles, TPS production, and thermal environments of extreme temperature applications.
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $150,000-$210,000. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful…