Senior Thermal Structures Engineer

Inversion; California (MO); On-site; USD 137,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion in Playa Vista, CA, seeks a Senior Thermal Structures Engineer to own heat shield and hot structure hardware from concept through flight, including design, analysis, and verification. You will perform structural and thermal-structural analyses, ensure manufacturability, and develop tests, with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering and 5+ years of aerospace hardware experience; U.S.

security clearance eligibility required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of mechanical/structural design experience in aerospace hardware.
• Experience with structural analyses of designs (hand calculations + FEA).
• Experience with thermal-structural analysis (thermally induced stress/deflection).
• Proficiency with 3D CAD and GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Own detailed mechanical design of heat shield components and assemblies, including TPS panels and interfaces to the vehicle.
• Perform structural and thermal-structural analyses from hand calculations to FEAs.
• Design for environments with thermally induced strains and CTE mismatch.
• Collaborate with materials and manufacturing to ensure fabricability.

Skills

Structural analysis

Thermal-structural analysis

CAD design

GD&T

Nastran Abaqus Ansys

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Nastran

Abaqus

Ansys

3D CAD

Job description

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

WhoWe Are:

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space.

Our mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demandlogisticsdomain. We see space not as a destination, but as a platform — one that unlocks unprecedented speed and global reach.

Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour,operatingthrough extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, andoperatingat hypersonic speeds.

Inherentlydual-use, our technology is built to meet urgent national security needs while laying the groundwork for future commercial applications. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and working with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Inversion is pushing the boundaries ofwhat'spossible in space-based defense andlogistics.

What You'll Do:

A heat shield is where theharsh reentrythermal environment meets structural reality — materials want to expand, attachments must not let them fail, andparts must be manufacturable at scale. As the SeniorThermalStructures Engineer, you will own the detailed design of heat shieldand hot structurehardware from concept through flight,with responsibility for both the design andanalysis ofa key subsystem for a maneuverable reentry vehicle.In this role, you will:

• Own the detailed mechanical design of heat shield components and assemblies, including TPS panels,hotsubstructure, attachments, and interfaces to the vehicle
• Perform structural and thermal-structural analysis of your designs, from hand calculations through detailed finite element analysis
• Design for environments where thermally induced strains are a primary driver, managing CTE mismatch, thermal gradients, and constrained expansion across joints and interfaces
• Work with materials and manufacturing engineers to design components that canactually befabricated, machined, and inspected in high-temperature composite material systems
• Define and support structural and thermal-structural testing to verify your designs, from element-level tests through qualification
• Develop your own part and assembly models, drawings, and GD&T, carrying designs from concept through released engineering
  

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience in a related field
• Typically, 5+ years of experience in the mechanical or structural design of aerospace hardware
• Experience performing structural analysis of your own designs, including both classical hand analysis and finite element analysis (e.g., Nastran, Abaqus, Ansys)
• Experience with thermal-structural analysis, including thermally induced stress and deflection
• Strong fundamentals in strength of materials, structural mechanics, and the design of fastened and bonded joints
• Proficiencywith 3D CAD sufficient to own detailed part and assembly design end-to-end, including drawings and GD&T
• 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 andmaintaina U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience designing high-temperature structures where thermally induced strains are a major design driver(hypersonicairframes,turbine engine hot sections, exhaust structures)
• Experience designing high-density TPS components from reinforced carbon/carbon, carbon phenolic, or ceramic matrix composites
• Experience designing hot-structure attachment schemes, such asexpansion or slip joints,standoffs, flexures, and compliant interfaces
• Experience analyzing anisotropic and composite materials, includingappropriate failurecriteria
• Familiarity with the manufacturing constraints ofcompositeorablative materials, including machining, densification shrinkage, and inspection
• Experience designing or supporting thermal-structural test campaigns, including strain and deflection measurement at elevated temperature
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams

Our office headquartersis located inPlaya Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $137,000-$193,000. 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 ITARhere .

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.