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Staff Flight Safety Engineer

Playa Vista, California, United States

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

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:

As a Flight Safety Analyst at Inversion, you will play a critical role in the mission design and regulatory certification of our reentry vehicles. You will own the flight safety analysis that enables our vehicles to safely transition from orbit back to Earth. Your work will directly support licensing efforts and ensure that our flight operations comply with safety standards. You will be a key member of the Missions team, responsible for the analysis behind our flight safety products. 

Key Responsibilities 

  • Develop and maintain internal tools in Python and/or MATLAB for flight safety analysis and trajectory simulation. 
  • Generate high-fidelity flight corridors for both orbital reentry and hypersonic suborbital flight profiles. 
  • Conduct 3DOF and 6DOF trajectory analysis to assess vehicle performance, safety margins, and risk profiles. 
  • Perform Expected Casualty (Ec) calculations and risk assessments to satisfy range and regulatory requirements. 
  • Utilize POST2 for mission trajectory generation and flight safety analysis. 
  • Author technical documents and Means of Compliance (MOC) to support FAA Part 450 licensing and other regulatory filings. 
  • Interface with flight safety systems to ensure mission requirements and safety constraints are met. 
  • Collaborate with GNC, reentry, and mission operations teams to define safety-critical mission parameters. 

Required Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field. 
  • 9+ years of professional experience in flight safety analysis, trajectory analysis, or mission design for aerospace vehicles. 
  • Proficiency in 3DOF and 6DOF trajectory generation and simulation. 
  • Direct experience with POST2 or similar high-fidelity trajectory analysis tools. 
  • Strong programming skills in Python and/or MATLAB for tool development and data processing. 
  • Familiarity with FAA Part 450 regulations and RCC 319 standards. 
  • Proven ability to write clear, concise technical documentation for regulatory compliance. 
  • Knowledge of flight safety systems and their application to reentry or launch vehicles. 

Desired Qualifications 

  • Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related field. 
  • Experience working directly with range safety organizations or regulatory bodies (e.g., FAA-AST, Wallops, or Vandenberg). 
  • Demonstrated experience in calculating risk metrics for complex or novel flight profiles. 
  • Background in Monte Carlo analysis and uncertainty quantification for mission safety. 

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

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $165,000-$236,000.  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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