Staff Aerothermal CFD Methods Engineer

Inversionspace; California (MO); On-site; USD 161,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion is seeking an experienced CFD and aerothermal modeling expert to lead development of high-enthalpy flow solvers and multi-phase flow models in a fast-paced environment in Playa Vista, CA.

The role requires a PhD or equivalent experience, 9+ years in CFD, and the ability to obtain US government security clearance. You will mentor engineers and collaborate with production analysts to deliver robust tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• Typically 9+ years of experience in CFD methods and solver capabilities.
• Experience writing, extending or modifying high-enthalpy CFD solvers.
• Experience modeling high-temperature gas dynamics and thermochemical non-equilibrium.
• Experience modeling multi-phase flows with droplet interactions (atomization, breakup).
• Strong fundamentals in numerical methods for compressible flow (finite volume, shock capturing).
• Proficiency in Fortran, C, or C++.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Build and extend computational tools to characterize the aerothermal environment around reentry vehicles.
• Develop, implement, and validate extensions to high enthalpy flow solvers.
• Implement and improve models of high-temperature gas dynamics, including non-equilibrium chemistry.
• Develop multi-phase flow modeling with emphasis on droplet interactions.
• Verify and validate capabilities against analytical solutions, ground tests, and flight data.
• Work closely with production aerothermal analysts to harden tools.
• Mentor engineers across the aerothermal team.

Skills

CFD methods

Solver development

Fortran

C/C++

High-enthalpy CFD

Numerical methods

Multi-phase flow

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical engineering

PhD in related field

Tools

US3D

MPI

Job description

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We 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-demand logistics domain. 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, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, and operating at hypersonic speeds.

Inherently dual-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 of what's possible in space-based defense and logistics.

What You'll Do:

• Build and extend the computational tools used to characterize the aerothermal environment around reentry vehicles
• Develop, implement, and validate extensions to existing high enthalpy flow solvers, spanning physics models, numerical methods, and solver infrastructure
• Implement and improve models of high-temperature gas dynamics, including thermochemical non-equilibrium and finite-rate chemistry including ablation products or other additional species present in flow
• Develop multi-phase flow modeling capability with an emphasis on droplet interactions - atomization and breakup, evaporation, droplet-shock and droplet-surface interaction, and two-way coupling between dispersed and continuous phases
• Verify and validate new capabilities against analytical solutions, ground test, and flight data
• Work closely with production aerothermal analysts to harden new capabilities into reliable, documented tools
• Mentor engineers across the aerothermal team

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or equivalent experience in a related field
• Typically, 9+ years of experience developing CFD methods and solver capabilities
• Experience writing,extendingormodifyinghigh-enthalpy CFD solvers
• Experience modeling high-temperature gas dynamics and chemistry, including thermochemical non-equilibrium
• Experience modeling multi-phase flows with an emphasis on droplet interactions - such as spray atomization and breakup modeling for fuel injection systems, or coolant droplet modeling for turbine engines
• Strong fundamentals in numerical methods for compressible flow, including finite volume discretization, shock capturing, and implicit solution methods
• Proficiencyin compiled scientific programming languages such as Fortran, C, or C++
• 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:

• PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field
• Familiarity with bothLagrangianand Eulerian approaches to particle trackingas well asexperience with droplet breakup and dispersion models (e.g., KH-RT, TAB)
• Experience with Fortran, particularly in the context of extending existing solver codebases
• Direct experience with US3D, including extension through user-defined subroutines
• Experience with plasma simulationfor weakly ionized flowsand / or experience with electromagnetic simulation
• Experience with parallel scientific computing (e.g., MPI) on large-scale HPC systems
• 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 $161,000-$221,000. 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.

ITAR Compliance:

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

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.