Engineering Manager, Arc Vehicle Mechanical & TPS

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

Engineering Manager, Arc Vehicle MechanicalLead mechanical design, analysis, and qualification of Arc vehicle structures and TPS for flight readinessLocation: Los Angeles, CaliforniaCompensation: $125,000 - 183,000 USD / yearAbout The RoleEngineering Manager, Arc Vehicle Mechanical

Playa Vista, California, United States

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We Are:

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space. Our mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. We see space not as a destination, but as a platform — one that unlocks unprecedented speed and global reach. Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, and operating at hypersonic speeds. Inherently dual-use, our technology is built to meet urgent national security needs while laying the groundwork for future commercial applications. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and working with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Inversion is pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space-based defense and logistics.

What You'll Do

As the Manager of Arc Vehicle Mechanical at Inversion, you will report directly to the Chief Engineer of Arc. In this role, you will lead the team responsible for the mechanical design, analysis, build support, integration, and qualification of Arc vehicle structures, mechanisms, and thermal protection systems. You will own delivery of Arc's primary structures, associated mechanisms, and thermal protection systems (TPS).

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Arc Vehicle Mechanical team's daily execution, technical direction, people management, and engineering development.
• Own the technical delivery of the Arc primary vehicle structure, associated mechanisms, and thermal protection system (TPS) manufacture, build, and integration.
• Partner with Production on manufacturability, tooling, inspection methods, process qualification, production capacity, and long-lead material planning.
• Coordinate and define mechanical interfaces, installation requirements, access provisions, load paths, and verification responsibilities.
• Oversee structural analysis and validation, including first-principles calculations, finite-element analysis, joint assessment, tolerance analysis, and test correlation.
• Lead planning and execution of structural, mechanical, and TPS development, qualification, acceptance, and vehicle-level testing.
• Support integrated vehicle builds, environmental testing, shipment, launch preparation, recovery operations, and post-flight hardware assessment as required.
• Drive root-cause investigations and corrective actions when necessary, including build non-conformances, test anomalies, and vehicle integration issues.
• Maintain configuration discipline across CAD, drawings, bills of materials, interface definitions, TPS process documentation, tooling, and verification evidence.
• Build and mentor a high-performing mechanical engineering team.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 8+ years of technical experience developing aerospace vehicle structures, mechanisms, TPS, or similarly demanding hardware.
• Typically 2+ years of formal people-management experience, with a proven track record of leading high-performing engineering teams.
• Strong technical background in mechanical design, structural mechanics, load paths, joints, fasteners, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Proven experience managing complex aerospace programs through design, environmental qualification, and flight operations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to drive alignment across hardware, software, and production organizations.

Desired Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Direct experience with hypersonic flight systems and/or reentry vehicle architectures.
• Familiarity with TPS materials characterization, structural bonding, and advanced composite fabrication.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced startup environment.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $125,000 - $183,000. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.