Senior Aerothermal CFD Methods Engineer

Inversion; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion in Playa Vista, CA, seeks a Staff Aerothermal CFD Methods Engineer to push the boundaries of high-enthalpy gas dynamics and multi-phase flow modeling. This on-site role focuses on developing new physics models, numerics, and solver capabilities for reentry vehicles and related aerospace systems.

You will extend US3D, validate against flight data, and collaborate with the aerothermal team, mentoring engineers and ensuring robust, well-documented tools for fast-paced development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or equivalent experience in a related field
• Typically, 9+ years of experience developing CFD methods and solver capabilities
• Experience writing, extending or modifying high-enthalpy CFD solvers
• Experience modeling high-temperature gas dynamics and chemistry, including thermochemical non‑equilibrium
• Experience modeling multi-phase flows with an emphasis on droplet interactions — such as spray atomization and breakup modeling for fuel injection systems, or coolant droplet modeling for turbine engines
• Strong fundamentals in numerical methods for compressible flow, including finite volume discretization, shock capturing, and implicit solution methods
• Proficiency in compiled scientific programming languages such as Fortran, C, or C++
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
• This position is on‑site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Build and extend the computational tools used to characterize the aerothermal environment around reentry vehicles
• Develop, implement, and validate extensions to existing high enthalpy flow solvers, spanning physics models, numerical methods, and solver infrastructure
• Implement and improve models of high-temperature gas dynamics, including thermochemical non‑equilibrium and finite-rate chemistry including ablation products or other additional species present in flow
• Develop multi-phase flow modeling capability with an emphasis on droplet interactions — atomization and breakup, evaporation, droplet‑shock and droplet‑surface interaction, and two‑way coupling between dispersed and continuous phases
• Verify and validate new capabilities against analytical solutions, ground test, and flight data
• Work closely with production aerothermal analysts to harden new capabilities into reliable, documented tools
• Mentor engineers across the aerothermal team

Skills

CFD methods

Numerical methods

Prototyping

Fast-paced work

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Eng

Tools

Fortran

C

C++

Job description

Inversion in Playa Vista, CA, seeks a Staff Aerothermal CFD Methods Engineer to push the boundaries of high-enthalpy gas dynamics and multi-phase flow modeling. This on-site role focuses on developing new physics models, numerics, and solver capabilities for reentry vehicles and related aerospace systems.

You will extend US3D, validate against flight data, and collaborate with the aerothermal team, mentoring engineers and ensuring robust, well-documented tools for fast-paced development.