Senior Propulsion and Energetics Thermofluids Engineer

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.

As a Senior Propulsion and Energetics Thermofluids Engineer at Inversion, you will report to the Head of Test, Propulsion & Energetics. In this role, you will be the primary technical authority on vacuum chamber systems for a hypersonic plasma wind tunnel. You will design and develop the mechanical structures and devices to activate a vacuum system and its requisite heat exchanger systems for a high-energy test bed to expand Inversion’s depth in hypersonic and reentry material testing.

Lead the design and development of vacuum chamber and heat exchanger cooling systems tailored to our high energy plasma test environment. This includes detailed mechanical design with executable drawings and technical specifications.

Conduct thorough thermal and fluid analyses on industrial-scale equipment.

Lead high-fidelity, transient thermal analysis including 3D conjugate heat transfer (CHT) modeling, aerodynamic heating boundary conditions, and internal radiative/conductive heat transfer.

Drive design trades across performance, manufacturability, schedule, and cost.

Own the sizing, selection, and structural interface design between the test facility and thermal protection systems (TPS) and internal insulation materials.

Own CAD models, drawings, release packages, and bill of materials for prototype and flight-like hardware.

Support prototype design, hands‑on integration, fit checks, and issue resolution during build.

Provideadditionalmechanical tooling and mechanism design bandwidth for test activities as needed.

Work closely with vehicle, manufacturing, test, supply chain, and technician teams to bring designs from concept through fabrication and integration.

Partner with outside vendors and suppliers to source parts, review manufacturability, and accelerate development.

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.

5+ years of experience in thermal design, modeling, and analysis of high-temperature systems.

Strong practical mechanical design skills related to industrial systems, mechanisms, high thermal-load systems, and user interfaces.

High familiarity with CAD software, such as Siemens NX.

Experience producing engineering drawings and applying standard dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5.

Expertise in industry‑standard thermal analysis software, such as Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Thermal, or equivalent tools.

Strong foundational knowledge of multi‑physics heat transfer (conduction, radiation, high‑speed convection) and thermodynamics.

Demonstrated experience taking complex thermal systems through the complete lifecycle from conceptual design…