SECTION I · THE BRIEF
Brief #88434Updated 03 NOV 2026PLAYA VISTA, CAGreenhouseY COMBINATOR
Employbl Company Profile

Mechanical Engineer II

Inversion Space is a privately held company driven to change how humanity utilizes space. Its builds affordable, high cadence return vehicle for the commercial and defense industries.

Location
Playa Vista, CA
Company size
10–50
Posted
Today
Via
Greenhouse
Section II · Full ProfileFree with an account
  • 01Comp band & equity packageLocked
  • 02Seniority & experience requirementsLocked
  • 03Interview process & rubricLocked
  • 04Headcount & which departments are hiringLocked
  • 05Growth trajectory in this roleLocked
  • 06Offer & decision timelineLocked

Free · 2 minutes · the funding and stack behind this role

Mechanical Engineer II

Inversion Space· Playa Vista, California, United StatesView company profile


Job title
Mechanical Engineer II
Job location
Playa Vista, California, United States
Job description

Advanced Reentry Technologies

Who We Are:

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology to enable next-generation capabilities from space. By combining high-performance materials, precision aerodynamics, and mission-driven autonomy, Inversion is transforming reentry into an operational capability for an entirely new class of missions.

The company’s highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and other national security missions that require precise, controlled flight through the atmosphere. Arc creates an entirely new transportation domain, unlocking unprecedented speed and global reach.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates its spacecraft under one roof, enabling the company to move rapidly from concept to flight. The company is backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, with customers across the U.S. government and commercial space industry.

Position Overview:

As a Mechanical Engineer II at Inversion, you will play a critical role in the design, functionality, and performance of our next-generation reentry vehicles. This is a unique opportunity to work on the early stages of vehicle design, including defining vehicle architecture and creatively solving new design challenges.

  • Own mechanical design efforts from cradle to grave for the reentry team including:
    • Primary and secondary vehicle structures
    • Payload accommodations
    • Thermal protection systems interfaces
  • Partner with cross-domain stakeholders including propulsion and avionics to design and deliver mechanical systems critical to the vehicle's success.
  • Size, package, and integrate flight components and subassemblies in the vehicle using CAD software
  • Analyze flight and critical non-flight components using finite element analysis and hand calculations 
  • Develop test plans and equipment to qualify designs through environmental testing including vibration, shock, static load, and thermal testing.

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience.
  • Typically, 2+ years of applicable hands-on experience developing mechanical systems, structures, and aerospace vehicles or equivalently complicated mechanical assemblies.
  • Strong practical mechanical design skills related to mechanisms, packaging, high-load environments, and user interfaces.
  • High familiarity with CAD software, such as Siemens NX.
  • Familiarity with FEA software packages such as ANSYS Mechanical, NASTRAN, FEMAP, or similar, with an emphasis on modal and static structural analysis
  • Experience producing engineering drawings and applying standard dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5.
  • Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Capable of working in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.
  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience.
  • Hands-on vehicle integration or design for manufacturing experience of flight or vehicle structures, bracketry, and related components.
  • Demonstrated history of mechanical design product ownership from cradle to grave.
  • Experience with vehicle-level flight test campaigns and hardware qualification per SMC-S016, SpaceX Rideshare Payload Users Guide (RPUG), or similar requirements
  • Prior experience in the design and test of qualified space-flight hardware.

Our office headquarters are located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $106,000-$150,000. 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. 

ITAR Compliance:
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you 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. Learn more about the ITAR here.  
 
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.  
 
Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.  If you are a US Job Applicant see the CCPA Privacy Policy Notice for further details.
View job listing ↗
The Employbl newsletter

Get the Employbl newsletter

Which tech companies raised, who is hiring, and what the live dataset says — most Saturdays, one email.

Free. Unsubscribe with one click, from any issue.

Where this role is based

Playa Vista, CA

Map of this location

Inversion Space headquarters

Los Angeles, CA

Company size

10–50 employees

Founded

2021

Total raised

$54,289,444

View company profile ↗

Work at Inversion Space? Claim its Employbl profile

Funding rounds