Senior Thermal Structures Engineer — Space Reentry Systems

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:

A heat shield is where the harsh reentry thermal environment meets structural reality materials want to expand, attachments must not let them fail, and parts must be manufacturable  the Senior Thermal Structures Engineer, you will own the detailed design of heat shield and hot structure hardware from concept through flight, with responsibility for both the design and analysis of a key subsystem for a maneuverable reentry  this role, you will:

• Own the detailed mechanical design of heat shield components and assemblies, including TPS panels,hot substructure, attachments, and interfaces to the vehicle
• Perform structural and thermal-structural analysis of your designs, from hand calculations through detailed finite element analysis
• Design for environments where thermally induced strains are a primary driver, managing CTE mismatch, thermal gradients, and constrained expansion across joints and interface
• Work with materials and manufacturing engineers to design components that can actually be fabricated, machined, and inspected in high-temperature composite material systems
• Define and support structural and thermal-structural testing to verify your designs, from element-level tests through qualification Develop your own part and assembly models, drawings, and GD&T, carrying designs from concept through released engineering

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience in a related field
• Typically, 5+ years of experience in the mechanical or structural design of aerospace hardware
• Experience performing structural analysis of your own designs, including both classical hand analysis and finite element analysis (e.g., Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys)
• Experience with thermal-structural analysis, including thermally induced stress and deflection
• Strong fundamentals in strength of materials, structural mechanics, and the design of fastened and bonded joints
• Proficiency with 3D CAD sufficient to own detailed part and assembly design end-to-end, including drawings and GD&T
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience designing high-temperature structures where thermally induced strains are a major design driver(hypersonicairframes,turbine engine hot sections, exhaust structures)
• Experience designing high-density TPS components from reinforced carbon/carbon, carbon phenolic, or ceramic matrix composites
• Experience designing hot-structure attachment schemes, such as expansion or slip joints, standoffs, flexures, and compliant interfaces
• Experience analyzing anisotropic and composite materials, including appropriate failure criteria
• Experience with the manufacturing constraints of composite or ablative materials, including machining, densification shrinkage, and inspection
• Experience designing or supporting thermal-structural test campaigns, including strain and deflection measurement at elevated temperature
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams

Our office headquarter sis located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $137,000-$193,000. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a…