Senior TPS Design Engineer

Inversion; California (MO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company in California is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to develop cutting-edge thermal protection systems for innovative reentry vehicles. You will support the design and testing of materials and methods, contributing to advanced aerospace technologies. This position is based onsite at the Playa Vista office, requiring collaboration in a dynamic work environment with a salary range of $150,000 to $170,000.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in extreme temperature materials.
• Proven ability to work effectively in fast-paced environments.
• Experience using Siemens NX or similar CAD software.

Responsibilities

• Design cutting edge thermal protection systems for vehicles.
• Organize development and qualification testing of TPS materials.
• Develop accelerated integration methods to reduce manufacturing time.

Skills

Material Science

Thermal Protection Systems (TPS)

CAD software (Siemens NX)

Aerospace Engineering

Fast-paced environment adaptability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent experience

Job description

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We Are:

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse drawn carriage, ocean faring boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world. We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re‑entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth.

What You’ll Do:

Inversion’s reentry vehicles are pushing the limits of hypersonic flight and our Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) are critical to success. As a Mechanical Design Engineer, you will work alongside Inversion’s aerothermal and structures teams to design, manufacture and integrate a high performance, cost effective TPS for Inversion’s lifting‑body reentry vehicles. In this role, you will:

• Design cutting edge thermal protection systems for Inversion’s Arc vehicle
• Organize development and qualification testing of TPS materials and installations
• Develop accelerated TPS integration methods to reduce manufacturing time
• Develop the analysis and design workflow of the flight heat shields for flight vehicles
• Explore trades between TPS materials and manufacturing methods
• Work with outside vendors, suppliers, and testing resources to bring new materials, capabilities, and processes in‑house at Inversion

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Material Science, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Chemical Engineering OR equivalent experience in a relevant field
• Typically, 5+ years of professional experience working with, formulating, or producing materials for extreme temperature environments (Reentry, Rocketry, Hypersonics, Propulsion, Nuclear Power, etc.)
• Experience using Siemens NX or similar CAD software
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment
• This role is onsite at our Playa Vista, California office

Desired Qualifications:

• Professional experience in design, testing, and integration of thermal protection systems for hypersonic or reentry flight vehicles
• Professional experience working with, formulating, or producing ablative or ceramic TPS
• Strong understanding of the fundamentals behind aerothermal heating of reentry vehicles, TPS production, and thermal environments of extreme temperature applications
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent 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 $150,000-$170,000. 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.

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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.

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