Staff Mission Design Engineer

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: 

Inversion's reentry vehicles must perform across an enormous trade space — orbital insertion through hypersonic flight to precision landing. As the Staff Mission Design Engineer, you will own the mission-level view of that trade space for our next-generation vehicles. You will develop the design reference missions and flight envelopes that anchor vehicle design, and run the performance sensitivity studies that guide our most consequential design choices. In this role, you will: 

• Develop design reference missions and flight envelopes for new vehicles 

• Lead performance sensitivity and trade studies that inform vehicle-level design decisions 

• Support 3-DOF and 6-DOF Monte Carlo simulation campaigns for new vehicles, from dispersion definition through results synthesis 

• Work directly with customers to support constellation design and mission architecture efforts 

• Translate customer mission needs into vehicle and trajectory requirements 

• Mentor engineers across the mission design and simulation teams 
    

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience 

• Typically, 9+ years of experience in mission design, trajectory analysis, or flight performance for launch, reentry, hypersonic, or missile systems 

• Experience with trajectory optimization using an industry-standard tool (POST, OTIS, TAOS, Copernicus, or similar) 

• Experience developing and exercising 3-DOF and 6-DOF flight simulations 

• Strong fundamentals in flight mechanics, orbital mechanics, and atmospheric entry dynamics 

• Strong fundamentals in statistical and probabilistic analysis, including Monte Carlo and dispersion analysis 

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, or C++ for simulation and analysis 

• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills, including customer-facing work 

• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced 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: 

• Experience with constellation design, coverage analysis, or orbit propagation tools (e.g., STK, GMAT) 

• Experience reverse engineering performance of existing vehicles 

• Experience with range safety and footprint analysis (e.g., expected casualty, circular error probable) for reentry or launch systems 

• Experience reconciling simulation predictions against flight test data 

• Familiarity with vehicle GNC algorithms and their interaction with mission design 
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams 

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.