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Senior Aerothermal CFD Engineer

Playa Vista, California, United States

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We Are:

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse-drawn chariots, ocean-going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth.

What You’ll Do:
Inversion’s lifting-body reentry platform will create a highly maneuverable, highly accurate, and low-cost vehicle that will be industry-first. The Senior Aerothermal Engineer will be responsible for ownership of external flow-field aerothermodynamic analysis. This role will be a key contributor to Inversion's advanced aerothermal modeling efforts, and responsible for developing, improving, and implementing cutting-edge CFD tools and workflows. 
 
On a day-to-day basis, the senior aerothermal engineer will lead the creation of high-fidelity simulations, mentor team members, and act as the driving force behind our efforts to build confidence in our vehicle models. This is a unique opportunity to help define the CFD strategy for groundbreaking technology, creatively solve novel high-speed flow challenges, and play a pivotal role in the design of next-generation hypersonic systems. 
 
Required Qualifications:
  • Undergraduate degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience 
  • Typically, 5+ years of experience in hypersonic, supersonic, reentry, or rocketry external flow-field aerothermodynamic analysis
  • Strong experience with high fidelity, high temperature gas flow solvers (US3D, DPLR and/or LAURA)
  • Familiarity with Fidelity Pointwise, Link3D or equivalent meshing software for generating high-quality meshes suitable for a variety of simulations
  • Strong knowledge of flows in thermal-chemical non-equilibrium
  • Experience with key aspects of hypersonic system modeling such as hypersonic boundary layer, heat transfer modeling, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, chemistry modeling, turbulence, etc.
  • Experience with recession analysis / material response
  • Experience integrating ground & flight test data into aerothermal vehicle models
  • Experience with conceptual, preliminary, and final design/analysis of thermal protection systems
  • Proficiency in uncertainty quantification & relevant mathematical models
  • Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
Desired Qualifications:
  • Master's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field.
  • Experience conducting a comprehensive CFD campaign, from a vehicle’s early stages to the first flight
  • Experience using programming languages like Python, Fortran, C++, MATLAB, etc.
  • Involvement in planning, leading, and/or post-processing arc-jet tunnel campaigns 

This position is onsite at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.  A hybrid role may be considered for highly exceptional candidates.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $150,000-$170,000.  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.

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