Aerothermal Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space.

Our mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. We see space not as a destination, but as a platform — one that unlocks unprecedented speed and global reach.

Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, and operating at hypersonic speeds.

Inherently dual-use, our technology is built to meet urgent national security needs while laying the groundwork for future commercial applications. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and working with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Inversion is pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space-based defense and logistics.

Every surface of Inversion's reentry vehicles is designed against the aerothermal environment it must survive — and that environment must be known before it can be designed against. As the Senior Aerothermal Environments Engineer, you will develop and database the aerothermal environment around our reentry vehicles, combining high-fidelity CFD, engineering-level methods, and test data into database products that drive vehicle design. In this role, you will:

• Develop and maintain aerothermal environment databases spanning the full flight envelope of Inversion's reentry vehicles
• Run high-enthalpy CFD solutions at conditions anchoring the database, including flows in thermal-chemical non-equilibrium
• Apply handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods to efficiently populate the trajectory and attitude space between high-fidelity anchor points
• Fuse heating estimates from data sources of varying fidelity — CFD, engineering methods, ground test, and flight data — into coherent database products with defined uncertainties and margins
• Deliver environments that directly drive TPS sizing, structural design, and trajectory constraints, and support downstream users in applying them correctly
• Build and mature the tooling, automation, and data infrastructure behind database generation and delivery

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Typically, 5+ years of experience in hypersonic, supersonic, reentry, or rocketry aerothermodynamic analysis
• Experience running high-enthalpy flow solvers (US3D, DPLR, LAURA, Loci-CHEM, or similar)
• Experience with handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods (e.g., Fay-Riddell, Tauber, MINIVER-class tools, or similar correlations)
• Strong fundamentals in hypersonic aerodynamics, boundary layer physics, and convective and radiative heat transfer
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python, Fortran, C++, or MATLAB for analysis tooling and automation
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
• This position is on-site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

• Master's or PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field
• Experience assembling heating estimates from data sources of varying fidelity into an overall database product used to drive vehicle design
• Experience with uncertainty quantification and the definition of design margins for aerothermal environments
• Experience integrating ground and flight test data into aerothermal vehicle models
• Experience with boundary layer transition prediction and its treatment in heating environments
• Familiarity with Fidelity Pointwise, Link3D, or equivalent meshing software for generating high-quality meshes
• Experience with modeling radiative heating using radiation transport tools
• Familiarity with TPS sizing and material response tools (e.g., FIAT, CHAR) as downstream consumers of environments
• Experience with high-performance computing environments and large-scale CFD campaign automation
• Experience contributing to an aerothermal database effort from a vehicle's early design stages through first flight
• Involvement in planning, leading, and/or post-processing wind tunnel or arc-jet test campaigns
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams

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

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $137,000-$193,000. 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.

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.

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.

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