Space Mission Lead - Reentry & Logistics

Inversion Space Company; Vista (CA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion Space Company invites applications for a Mission Manager to serve as the primary engineering and programmatic interface for customers from early capabilities studies through launch, on-orbit operations, re-entry, and recovery.

You will lead initial requirements verification, mission design, vehicle development, and testing while coordinating with a diverse engineering team to rapidly iterate solutions that meet customer requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Typically 9+ years of direct engineering experience within launch vehicles, reentry systems, or hypersonic flight regimes with a track record of leading complex aerospace projects.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical and programmatic execution from contract award through integration, test, launch, operations, and re-entry, ensuring all contract requirements are met.
• Serve as the primary technical authority for the mission, understanding the vehicle’s design, constraints, and subsystem dependencies (e.g., GNC, thermal protection systems, propulsion, avionics).
• Support proposal efforts to align new missions with long-term strategic vision, ensuring complex contract requirements are executable.
• Interface with internal engineering, production, and mission assurance teams to drive technical closure, anomaly resolution, and on-time mission success.
• Collaborate with engineering to evaluate vehicle readiness, performing risk and trade studies on how changes impact system requirements, margin, and launch schedules.
• Work with the customer to mitigate and resolve technical and programmatic issues that arise with a success-oriented approach and resolution.
• Manage multiple programs and competing technical priorities concurrently.

Skills

Project management

Communications

Requirements tracing

Systems engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Inversion Space Company invites applications for a Mission Manager to serve as the primary engineering and programmatic interface for customers from early capabilities studies through launch, on-orbit operations, re-entry, and recovery.

You will lead initial requirements verification, mission design, vehicle development, and testing while coordinating with a diverse engineering team to rapidly iterate solutions that meet customer requirements.