Inversion Space
Senior TPS Design Engineer
$150K–$210K
Playa Vista, California, United States · Senior · Full-time · Posted Oct 20, 2025
- Experience
- Typically, 5+ years; no alternative stated.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Material Science, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Chemical Engineering OR equivalent experience in a relevant field.
- Visa sponsorship
- To conform to ITAR, 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.
About the job
Design, test, and integrate thermal protection systems for Inversion’s Arc reentry vehicle and other lifting-body flight vehicles.
What you'll do
- Design TPS for the Arc vehicle and develop flight heatshield analysis and design workflows.
- Organize TPS material and installation testing and qualification; develop faster integration methods.
- Evaluate material and manufacturing tradeoffs and work with vendors to bring materials and processes in-house.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s degree in a listed engineering or materials field, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
- Typically 5+ years of professional experience working with, formulating, or producing materials for extreme-temperature environments.
- Experience using Siemens NX or similar CAD software.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.
Nice to have
- Professional experience designing, testing, and integrating TPS for hypersonic or reentry vehicles; experience with ablative or ceramic TPS.
- Understanding of reentry aerothermal heating, TPS production, and extreme-temperature environments; startup or small-team experience.
Pay
$150,000-$210,000 USD base salary
Tools
Siemens NX
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative