Staff Mission Design Engineer Verified today

About Inversion Space

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology. The company's highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and national security missions. Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates its spacecraft under one roof, backed by Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures.

The Role

As Staff Mission Design Engineer, you will own the mission-level view of the design trade space for next-generation reentry vehicles. You will develop design reference missions and flight envelopes that anchor vehicle design, and run performance sensitivity studies that guide critical design choices.

Key Responsibilities

• 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, 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++
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including customer-facing work
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret or Top Secret security clearance

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with constellation design, coverage analysis, or orbit propagation tools (STK, GMAT)
• Experience reverse engineering performance of existing vehicles
• Experience with range safety and footprint analysis for reentry or launch systems
• Experience reconciling simulation predictions against flight test data
• Familiarity with vehicle GNC algorithms and their interaction with mission design
• Prior experience working in startups and small independent teams

Location and Compensation

This position requires in-office presence at Inversion's headquarters in Playa Vista, California. Annual base salary range: $161,000-$221,000. Individual pay determined on a case-by-case basis based on relevant experience, skills, and certifications.

ITAR Compliance

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.