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Senior Mechanical Design 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: 
As a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Inversion, you will play a critical role in the design, packaging, and rapid iteration of hardware across multiple spacecraft and hypersonic development programs. This role spans flight hardware, prototype systems, integration support, and tooling that helps programs move quickly from concept to build. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to solve hard packaging and manufacturability problems while driving designs toward real hardware. In this role, you will: 

  • Design mechanical systems, structures, brackets, enclosures, mounts, and mechanisms across multiple spacecraft and hypersonic programs. 
  • Own CAD models, drawings, release packages, and bill of materials for prototype and flight-like hardware. 
  • Support prototype design, hands-on integration, fit checks, and issue resolution during build. 
  • Provide additional tooling design bandwidth for assembly, integration, and test activities as needed. 
  • Drive design trades across performance, manufacturability, schedule, and cost. 
  • Work closely with manufacturing, test, supply chain, and technician teams to bring designs from concept through fabrication and integration. 
  • Partner with outside vendors and suppliers to source parts, review manufacturability, and accelerate development. 

Required Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience. 
  • 5+ years of applicable experience in mechanical design, integration, and hardware development. 
  • Experience using Siemens NX or similar CAD software. 
  • Strong GD&T, tolerance stack-up, and drawing release fundamentals. 
  • Experience taking hardware from concept through fabrication, assembly, and integration. 
  • Familiarity with common aerospace fabrication methods including machining, sheet metal, welded assemblies, and prototype hardware builds. 
  • Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
  • Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment. 

Desired Qualifications: 

  • Experience with spacecraft, launch, reentry, hypersonic, or other high-performance aerospace systems. 
  • Experience supporting prototype builds and rapid design iteration in a hardware-rich environment. 
  • Experience designing tooling, fixtures, or support equipment for integration and test. 
  • Experience using hand calculations and/or FEA to inform mechanical design decisions. 
  • Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams. 

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $137,000-$193,000. 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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