Staff Mission Design Engineer Verified today
About Inversion Space
Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space. Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. We work with the U.S. Space Force and NASA on space-based defense and logistics.
What You'll Do
As Staff Mission Design Engineer, you will own the mission-level view of the trade space for our next-generation reentry vehicles, from orbital insertion through hypersonic flight to precision landing. You will develop the design reference missions and flight envelopes that anchor vehicle design, and run the performance sensitivity studies that guide our most consequential design choices.
- Develop design reference missions and flight envelopes for new vehicles
- Lead performance sensitivity and trade studies that inform vehicle-level design decisions
- Support 3-DOF and 6-DOF Monte Carlo simulation campaigns for new vehicles, from dispersion definition through results synthesis
- Work directly with customers to support constellation design and mission architecture efforts
- Translate customer mission needs into vehicle and trajectory requirements
- Mentor engineers across the mission design and simulation teams
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience
- Typically 9+ years of experience in mission design, trajectory analysis, or flight performance for launch, reentry, hypersonic, or missile systems
- Experience with trajectory optimization using an industry-standard tool (POST, OTIS, TAOS, Copernicus, or similar)
- Experience developing and exercising 3-DOF and 6-DOF flight simulations
- Strong fundamentals in flight mechanics, orbital mechanics, and atmospheric entry dynamics
- Strong fundamentals in statistical and probabilistic analysis, including Monte Carlo and dispersion analysis
- Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, or C++ for simulation and analysis
- Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills, including customer-facing work
- 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
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with constellation design, coverage analysis, or orbit propagation tools (e.g., STK, GMAT)
- Experience reverse engineering performance of existing vehicles
Location and Clearance
This position is on-site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.