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Tooling Engineer II

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: 
At Inversion, development speed and scalable systems depend on robust, practical tooling that makes assembly and integration repeatable. As a Tooling Engineer II, you will lead the design and fabrication of tooling used to assemble, handle, inspect, and integrate flight hardware. You will work closely with technicians, manufacturing, and design engineers to create tooling that is simple, durable, and effective, while also supporting specialized TPS tooling needs. In this role, you will: 

  • Lead the design of assembly, handling, transport, and check tooling for flight hardware and development articles. 
  • Own tooling from initial concept through fabrication, bring-up, and handoff to the production or integration floor. 
  • Support TPS tooling design for development, installation, and integration activities. 
  • Generate detailed CAD, drawings, and fabrication packages for internal and external build. 
  • Work directly with technicians and manufacturing teams to improve ergonomics, repeatability, and assembly flow. 
  • Coordinate with outside vendors and internal machine shop resources to fabricate and modify tooling quickly. 
  • Improve tooling designs through hands-on iteration during hardware build and integration. 

Required Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent experience. 
  • 2+ years of applicable experience designing and fabricating tooling, fixtures, or support equipment. 
  • Experience using Siemens NX or similar CAD software. 
  • Strong GD&T, drawing creation, and tolerance fundamentals. 
  • Familiarity with machining, welding, fabrication, and common shop processes. 
  • Hands-on experience supporting assembly, integration, or prototype hardware builds. 
  • Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
  • Capable of working in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment. 

Desired Qualifications: 

  • Experience designing aerospace assembly or integration tooling. 
  • Experience with TPS tooling, molds, trim fixtures, bond fixtures, or other heatshield-related support equipment. 
  • Experience working directly with technicians and production teams to refine tooling in use. 
  • Familiarity with metrology, alignment tooling, or inspection fixtures. 
  • Experience with rapid prototyping methods and quick-turn vendor fabrication. 

The California annual base wage 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.  

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

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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