Senior Mechanical Engineer, Spaceflight Systems

Inversion; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion in Playa Vista, CA, is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own cradle-to-grave development of mission-critical hardware for a high-performance reentry vehicle. You will drive mechanical system architecture and work across packaging, manufacturing, and integration teams to move concepts to real hardware.

Applicants should have a bachelor’s in aerospace or mechanical engineering, 5+ years of relevant experience, and strong CAD/FEA skills (NX/CATIA/SolidWorks, ANSYS).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Typically 5+ years of hardware development for aerospace/defense.
• Strong mechanical design skills with 3D CAD proficiency.
• Hands-on experience with structural and thermal analysis using FEA tools.
• Experience designing for harsh environmental conditions.
• Familiarity with environmental testing and spaceflight hardware qualification.
• Proficiency with GD&T and mechanical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop flight-critical mechanical systems, brackets, enclosures, mounts, and mechanisms from concept through flight qualification.
• Lead mechanical design of subsystem integration and vehicle packaging, ensuring hardware comes together as a high-performing, cohesive system.
• Perform detailed structural and thermal analysis using FEA and analytical methods to validate designs against hypersonic and spaceflight environments.
• Develop and execute comprehensive test campaigns including functional testing, environmental qualification (vibration, shock, thermal, TVAC, EMI/EMC), life cycle testing, and acceptance testing.
• Create detailed engineering drawings, assembly procedures, interface control documents (ICDs), and design specifications.
• Work hands-on with manufacturing and integration teams to build, troubleshoot, and iterate hardware rapidly.
• Drive design reviews and present technical trade studies to inform architecture and component selection decisions.
• Coordinate with suppliers and vendors for custom component procurement, ensuring adherence to schedule and technical requirements.
• Support vehicle integration activities and provide technical expertise during assembly, test, and launch operations.

Skills

3D CAD

Mechanical design

FEM/FEA

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Abaqus

NASTRAN

Job description

Inversion in Playa Vista, CA, is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own cradle-to-grave development of mission-critical hardware for a high-performance reentry vehicle. You will drive mechanical system architecture and work across packaging, manufacturing, and integration teams to move concepts to real hardware.

Applicants should have a bachelor’s in aerospace or mechanical engineering, 5+ years of relevant experience, and strong CAD/FEA skills (NX/CATIA/SolidWorks, ANSYS).