Senior Dynamics Engineer — Aerospace Vehicle Dynamics Lead

Inversion Space Company; California; On-site; USD 137,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion seeks a Senior Dynamics Engineer to own loads, structural dynamics, and multibody dynamics analyses for its advanced reentry vehicle program. You will work across vehicle architecture, structures, mechanisms, and test to define dynamic environments and validate performance through analysis and hardware correlation.

The role involves driving dynamic trade studies, correlating models with flight hardware, and presenting risks and paths forward in design reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, or related field.
• Typically 5+ years of professional experience in loads, structural dynamics, multibody dynamics, or related analysis for aerospace/defense.
• Strong fundamentals in rigid-body dynamics, structural dynamics, vibration, transient response, and mechanical system behavior.
• Experience developing and applying multibody dynamics models for mechanisms, deployment systems, or similar.
• Experience defining and evaluating mechanical loads and dynamic environments for flight hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own development of vehicle loads, structural dynamics, and multibody dynamics analyses from early architecture through hardware realization.
• Define and mature load cases and dynamic environments across launch, shock, vibration, separation, deployment, and other events.
• Develop and maintain multibody dynamics models to evaluate separation events and mechanism-driven behaviors.
• Collaborate with structures and mechanisms engineers to translate results into design inputs and architecture decisions.
• Support development of structural dynamics models including modal characterization, transient response, and dynamic load prediction.
• Drive dynamic trade studies to evaluate architecture and deployment performance under evolving design conditions.
• Help define test objectives, instrumentation needs, and correlation plans for mechanism, structural, and dynamic tests.
• Correlate simulation results to test data and refine models and design recommendations.
• Present progress and risks in design reviews and cross-functional forums.
• Operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous development environment.

Skills

Rigid-body dynamics

Structural dynamics

Multibody dynamics

Finite element analysis

ANSYS

Abaqus

MATLAB/Simulink

Cross-functional communication

Python scripting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

ANSYS Motion

Adams

RecurDyn

Simpack

MATLAB/Simulink

Abaqus

NASTRAN

FEMAP

Job description

Inversion seeks a Senior Dynamics Engineer to own loads, structural dynamics, and multibody dynamics analyses for its advanced reentry vehicle program. You will work across vehicle architecture, structures, mechanisms, and test to define dynamic environments and validate performance through analysis and hardware correlation.

The role involves driving dynamic trade studies, correlating models with flight hardware, and presenting risks and paths forward in design reviews.