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Salary: USD 137,000 - 193,000 / 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 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 a Senior RF Systems Engineer, you will report directly to the Manager of Arc Avionics and own the end-to-end lifecycle of communication hardware for Inversion's next-generation reentry vehicles—from initial link analysis and component selection through radiation pattern modeling, lab testing, and live mission-readiness validation.
Key responsibilities include:
• Develop and maintain high-fidelity communication link budgets, modeling vehicle-level antenna radiation patterns and simulating RF performance in challenging flight and atmospheric reentry environments.
• Perform trade studies to evaluate, select, and qualify commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom RF components, including transmitters, transceivers, Power Amplifiers (PAs), Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), and antennas.
• Lead benchtop and vehicle-level RF testing using standard laboratory equipment, bridging hardware with software by supporting live end-to-end telemetry validation.
• Establish and test ground station networks utilizing S-band and L-band frequencies to ensure robust link margins at critical elevation angles.
• Partner with software, guidance and control (GNC), power, and mechanical teams to ensure optimal antenna placement, proper thermal dissipation, and structural integrity under environmental stress.
• Lead the gathering of technical data and generating documentation required for regulatory licensing with bodies such as the FCC, ITU, and NTIA.
• Design and own RF test systems and develop comprehensive test plans to qualify hardware across space and reentry environments (thermal, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, and radiation).
This position requires in-office presence in Playa Vista, CA.
REQUIREMENTS:
• 5+ years of professional experience in RF systems engineering, with demonstrated expertise in link budget analysis, antenna design/modeling, and RF component selection.
• Strong proficiency with RF simulation and modeling tools (such as MATLAB, CST, or HFSS).
• Hands-on experience with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal generators, power meters).
• Solid understanding of RF fundamentals: propagation, modulation, noise figure, gain, impedance matching, and transmission line theory.
• Experience with space or aerospace systems, including familiarity with environmental qualification standards (MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461) and space-rated components.
• Familiarity with telemetry and range safety standards (e.g., IRIG-106) and digital modulation schemes (such as SOQPSK).
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams.
• ITAR compliance requirement: 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.
