Inversion Space
Principal TPS Materials Engineer
$175K–$244K
Playa Vista, California, United States · Principal · Full-time · Posted Aug 13, 2026
- Experience
- Typically, 12+ years of professional experience developing, formulating, or producing materials for extreme temperature environments.
- Education
- Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
- Visa sponsorship
- 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 required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State for ITAR compliance.
About the job
Leads development, characterization, and scaled production of high-performance, low-cost ablative thermal protection materials for reentry vehicles.
What you'll do
- Develop and test ablative TPS formulations, including thermal response and mechanical properties.
- Prototype fabrication processes and automate production at scale toward flight-quality materials.
- Coordinate with vendors and test facilities, and mentor engineers.
What they ask for
- Bachelor's degree in a listed engineering or materials field, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
- Experience with at least one of carbon phenolic ablators, reinforced carbon/carbon, or refractory ceramic matrix composites.
- Experience in material characterization testing, prototyping, and scaling fabrication processes.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.
Nice to have
- PhD in Materials Science or a related field.
- Experience with composite manufacturing automation, arc jet testing, or thermal response modeling.
Pay
$175,000-$244,000 USD base salary
Tools
carbon phenolic ablators, reinforced carbon/carbon, refractory ceramic matrix composites, automated tape winding, mandrel tooling, FIAT, CHAR, PATO
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative