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Salary: USD 125,000 - 183,000 / annual
Inversion Space is building advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space. The company's mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. Inversion's spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. The technology is dual-use, meeting urgent national security needs while laying groundwork for future commercial applications. The company is backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and works with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA.
As Engineering Manager of Arc Vehicle Mechanical, you will report directly to the Chief Engineer of Arc and lead the team responsible for the mechanical design, analysis, build support, integration, and qualification of Arc vehicle structures, mechanisms, and thermal protection systems. You will own delivery of Arc's primary structures, associated mechanisms, and thermal protection systems (TPS).
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead the Arc Vehicle Mechanical team's daily execution, technical direction, people management, and engineering development
- Own the technical delivery of Arc primary vehicle structures, associated mechanisms, and TPS manufacture, build, and integration
- Partner with Production on manufacturability, tooling, inspection methods, process qualification, production capacity, and long-lead material planning
- Coordinate and define mechanical interfaces, installation requirements, access provisions, load paths, and verification responsibilities
- Oversee structural analysis and validation, including first-principles calculations, finite-element analysis, joint assessment, tolerance analysis, and test correlation
- Lead planning and execution of structural, mechanical, and TPS development, qualification, acceptance, and vehicle-level testing
- Support integrated vehicle builds, environmental testing, shipment, launch preparation, recovery operations, and post-flight analysis
Requirements:
- 10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership or senior technical role
- Demonstrated expertise in structural design, analysis, and testing of complex mechanical systems
- Strong background in spacecraft, aerospace, or high-performance vehicle design and manufacturing
- Experience with advanced materials, composites, and thermal protection systems
- Proficiency with CAD, FEA tools, and structural analysis software
- Familiarity with TPS materials characterization, structural bonding, and advanced composite fabrication
- Prior experience in a fast-paced startup environment
- ITAR compliance: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State
