Propulsion and Energetics Test Engineer II
Inversion
$106,000 - $150,000 / year
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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:
Ground test is how Inversion builds confidence in new reentry systems before flight. As a Propulsion & Energetics Test Engineer II, you will lead and support critical test campaigns that shape vehicle design, validate models, and retire technical risk. This role will focus on propulsion and thermal protection system test stand fabrication and maintenance, post-test data processing, and a broad range of additional ground test activities for reentry vehicles.
Key Responsibilities:
- Plan, design, build, integrate, and operate on propulsion, fluids, and thermal protection system torch test stands with a high degree of safety, autonomy, accountability, and responsibility.
- Support additional propulsion and energetics test activities including subsystem, component, and integrated hardware testing.
- Develop and document test instrumentation and measurement, equipment, methods, and processes.
- Coordinate with design engineers and technicians on test planning, operations, and analysis.
- Conduct test readiness reviews.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- Typically 2+ years of applicable hands-on experience testing hardware systems.
- Understanding of fluid components and instrumentation including valves, regulators, pressure sensors, flow sensors, temperature sensors, force sensors, and more.
- Experience with instrumentation, data acquisition, and post-test data processing.
- Experience writing test procedures, reports, and technical documentation.
- Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Capable of operating safely and effectively in fast-paced test environments.
- Capable of working in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.
- Position will require working with flammables and explosives.
- Position may require extended work hours, weekend work.
- Position may require standing, bending, and working directly with hardware on the floor for extended periods of time.
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience with Python, MATLAB, FlexLogger, and other test software and tools for data processing and analysis.
- Experience with electrical design and troubleshooting.
- Capable of adapting to unforeseen circumstances; creatively problem solving to get a project over the finish line.
- Experience with aerospace qualification or development testing for flight hardware.
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 $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.
Benefits
- stock options
About this role
Inversion is building spacecraft designed to deliver payloads from orbit to anywhere on Earth in under an hour, and this role puts you at the center of proving those systems work. As a Propulsion and Energetics Test Engineer II, you'll lead the design, fabrication, and operation of test stands for propulsion and thermal protection systems—the ground-based work that validates models and retires risk before flight. You'll own test planning and execution, coordinate with design teams, conduct readiness reviews, and handle the full cycle from instrumentation setup through post-test data analysis.
The position demands hands-on technical depth: you need at least two years testing hardware systems, solid knowledge of fluid components and sensors, experience writing test procedures and reports, and comfort working safely with flammables and explosives in a fast-paced environment. A bachelor's degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering is required, along with the ability to obtain a security clearance. Python, MATLAB, or data acquisition software experience is a plus, as is prior aerospace qualification testing.
This is a full-time, in-office role in Playa Vista, California, with a salary range of $106,000–$150,000. Expect extended hours and weekend work when test campaigns demand it, and be prepared for physical demands—standing, bending, and hands-on hardware work for extended periods. You'll be working directly with the U.S. Space Force and NASA on systems with national security applications.
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Pay for this role
$106,000 to $150,000 per year
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