Payload Engineer

Who We Are: 

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominate 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: 

The payload engineer will lead the development of a multipurpose reentry vehicle payload bay. This is a unique opportunity to work on the early stages of a novel reentry vehicle while allowing your creativity to define mission architecture. Inversion is currently building a Missions Team with the payload being a focal point. This role will develop the payload bay of a reentry vehicle based on customer feedback, industry standards, and innovative concepts. On a day-to-day basis, you will work with the engineering team, business development, and mission management to come up with ideas to accommodate payloads for a range of missions both commercial and defense related. The role will involve researching potential payloads, designing payload bay concepts, defining environmental loading, and pursuing the design through manufacture, test, and launch. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience  
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers designing and building space-flight hardware 
• Strong mechanical design skills related to mechanisms, packaging, high load environments, and user interface 
• Familiarity with CAD software 
• Creative package design experience to meet a range of customer needs 
• Comfortable with all aspects of a program; taking a design from concept through launch 
• 5+ years applicable experience (open to experience in fields other than aerospace) 
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment. Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.  
• This position is onsite at Inversion HQ in Torrance, CA. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related field 
• 7+ years applicable experience (open to experience in fields other than aerospace)
• Familiarity with design and test standards such as SMC-S-016, MIL-STD-810H, and launch vehicle payload user’s guides
• Prior experience in design and test of qualified space-flight hardware 

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $130,000-$220,000. 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.