Ground Software Engineer II, Arc Vehicle

Inversion; California; On-site; USD 101,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion is seeking a Ground Software Engineer II to build, test, and integrate mission control software and real-time telemetry processing for the Arc Vehicle. You will own interfaces and backend applications used in testing and operations.

The role requires 2+ years in software development for ground systems, experience with network protocols, and the ability to obtain a U.S. government security clearance. Office presence in Playa Vista, CA is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/CE/AE or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of software development in ground control or telemetry pipelines.
• Experience with TCP/UDP/WebSockets network protocols.
• Strong written and verbal communication across software and hardware teams.
• Ability to obtain U.S. government Secret/Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain backend architectures, telemetry parsers, and command pipelines for ground ops.
• Build reliable, low-latency operator displays and data visualization interfaces.
• Develop tools to orchestrate HIL and SIL simulations.
• Define communication protocols and data definitions between flight and ground.
• Maintain high-rate time-series databases for rapid post-test analysis.
• Integrate ground station software to manage RF hardware, antennas, and routing.
• Provide real-time software support during vehicle testing.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

2+ years software

Network protocols

Communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/CE/AE

Tools

COSMOS

Open MCT

Yamcs

Docker

Kubernetes

GitLab CI

GitHub Actions

Job description

Ground Software Engineer II, Arc Vehicle

Advanced Reentry Technologies

Who We Are:

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.

Position Overview:

As a Ground Software Engineer at Inversion you will build, integrate, and test the mission control software, real-time telemetry processing pipelines, and data visualization tools required to operate and monitor the Arc vehicle. You will own the development of user interfaces and backend applications u sed in both test and operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain the backend architectures, telemetry parsers, and command pipelines that support ground operations and flight tests.
• Build highly reliable, low-latency operator displays and data visualization interfaces used during vehicle testing and missions.
• Develop, package, and deploy automated software tools to orchestrate and monitor Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulation runs.
• Define and implement communication protocol structures, serialization standards, and data definitions (e.g., JSON, Protobuf, YAML) between flight and ground hardware.
• Build and maintain high-rate time-series databases and data storage solutions for rapid post-test analysis and archive searching.
• Integrate ground station software interfaces to manage uplink and downlink RF hardware, tracking antennas, and network routing.
• Provide direct, real-time software support during integrated vehicle testing, troubleshooting networking or command-and-control drops.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 2+ years of professional experience developing software, with a focus on ground control systems, telemetry pipelines, or distributed systems.
• Experience working with network communication protocols (such as TCP, UDP, and WebSockets).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to coordinate across software and hardware teams.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working in full-stack software development.
• Familiarity with existing aerospace mission control and ground software frameworks (such as COSMOS, Open MCT, Yamcs, or similar).
• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern DevOps practices (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
• Familiarity with RF communication systems, satellite link characteristics, or digital signal processing.
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent engineering teams.

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 $101,000 - $160,000. 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.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.

Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. If you are a US Job Applicant see the CCPA Privacy Policy Notice for further details.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Inversion’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.