Mechanical Engineer II

Location: Playa Vista, California, United States

Department: Reentry

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:

At Inversion, we are designing and building cutting edge reentry vehicles which rely on efficient, first-principles based mechanical engineering design. As a Mechanical Engineer II at Inversion, you will play a critical role in the design, functionality, and performance of our next-generation reentry vehicles. This is a unique opportunity to work on the early stages of vehicle design, including defining vehicle architecture and creatively solving new design challenges.

• Own mechanical design efforts from cradle to grave for the reentry team including:
  • Primary and secondary vehicle structures
  • Payload accommodations
  • Thermal protection systems interfaces
• Partner with cross-domain stakeholders including propulsion and avionics to design and deliver mechanical systems critical to the vehicle's success.
• Size, package, and integrate flight components and subassemblies in the vehicle using CAD software
• Analyze flight and critical non-flight components using finite element analysis and hand calculations 
• Develop test plans and equipment to qualify designs through environmental testing including vibration, shock, static load, and thermal testing.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Typically 2+ years of applicable hands-on experience developing mechanical systems, structures, and aerospace vehicles or equivalently complicated mechanical assemblies.
• Strong practical mechanical design skills related to mechanisms, packaging, high-load environments, and user interfaces.
• High familiarity with CAD software, such as Siemens NX.
• Familiarity with FEA software packages such as ANSYS Mechanical, NASTRAN, FEMAP, or similar, with an emphasis on modal and static structural analysis
• Experience producing engineering drawings and applying standard dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Capable of working in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.
• This position is on-site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on vehicle integration or design for manufacturing experience of flight or vehicle structures, bracketry, and related components.
• Demonstrated history of mechanical design product ownership from cradle to grave.
• Experience with vehicle-level flight test campaigns and hardware qualification per SMC-S016, SpaceX Rideshare Payload Users Guide (RPUG), or similar requirements
• Prior experience in the design and test of qualified space-flight hardware.

Our office headquarters are located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $106,000-$150,000. 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.