Arc Vehicle Mechanical Lead & TPS Engineering Manager

Frontdoor Defense; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 183,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion is seeking an Engineering Manager, Arc Vehicle Mechanical to lead the team responsible for the mechanical design, analysis, build support, integration and qualification of Arc vehicle structures, mechanisms, and TPS for flight readiness. Playa Vista, CA-based role reports to the Chief Engineer and drives delivery of Arc's primary structures.

You will mentor engineers, coordinate interfaces, oversee structural analysis and testing, and partner with production on manufacturability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering required.
• 8+ years developing aerospace vehicle structures, mechanisms, or TPS.
• 2+ years of formal people-management experience.
• Strong mechanical design, structural mechanics, load paths, joints, fasteners, materials, and manufacturing knowledge.
• Experience managing complex aerospace programs through design, qualification, and flight operations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead Arc Vehicle Mechanical team's daily execution and engineering development.
• Own technical delivery of primary vehicle structure, mechanisms, and TPS.
• Partner with Production on manufacturability, tooling, and process qualification.
• Coordinate mechanical interfaces, installation requirements, and load paths.
• Oversee structural analysis and validation, including FEA and test correlation.
• Plan and execute structural, mechanical, and TPS development and vehicle-level testing.
• Support integrated vehicle builds, environmental testing, and post-flight hardware assessment.
• Drive root-cause investigations and corrective actions for non-conformances.
• Maintain configuration discipline across CAD, drawings, BOMs, and TPS documentation.
• Build and mentor a high-performing mechanical engineering team.

Skills

Mechanical design

Structural mechanics

Load paths

Joints

Fasteners

Materials

Manufacturing processes

People management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's or Ph.D. in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

FEA

Job description

Inversion is seeking an Engineering Manager, Arc Vehicle Mechanical to lead the team responsible for the mechanical design, analysis, build support, integration and qualification of Arc vehicle structures, mechanisms, and TPS for flight readiness. Playa Vista, CA-based role reports to the Chief Engineer and drives delivery of Arc's primary structures.

You will mentor engineers, coordinate interfaces, oversee structural analysis and testing, and partner with production on manufacturability.