Senior Antenna Engineer at Inversion Space in Playa Vista, CA

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 Senior Antenna Engineer, you will lead the design, analysis, integration, and validation of antenna systems supporting Inversion’s next-generation re-entry vehicles. You will work within the Avionics team to develop high-performance antenna solutions for flight and ground applications, owning antenna development from requirements capture and EM simulation through prototyping, installed performance evaluation, and mission-readiness testing. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer with deep expertise in antenna design and electromagnetic analysis, and with strong judgment in translating system-level communication and vehicle constraints into robust antenna solutions. You will help develop critical hardware and systems for cutting-edge maneuverable reentry vehicles - advancing one of the most capable reentry vehicle platforms ever developed. You will be a key member of the Avionics team, reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, Avionics. Our engineers are responsible for the complete lifecycle of the hardware they create, including design, analysis, prototyping, test, and integration. Key Responsibilities: Lead antenna design, simulation, and placement activities for flight and ground communication systems. Capture antenna requirements and perform supporting electromagnetic simulation and analysis to meet system-level performance needs. Develop antenna concepts and trade studies across gain, bandwidth, efficiency, polarization, impedance matching, size, placement, and environmental constraints. Model and predict antenna and vehicle-level RF performance using EM simulation tools and installed-performance analysis methods. Plan and execute antenna prototyping, tuning, and validation activities for component-level and integrated system testing. Perform antenna measurements including impedance, return loss, radiation pattern, gain, efficiency, and polarization using anechoic chamber, near-field, and far-field test methods. Support integration of antennas with RF front-end hardware, vehicle structures, radomes, thermal systems, and other avionics subsystems. Evaluate installation effects and recommend mitigation strategies for performance degradation due to vehicle geometry, nearby structures, radomes, thermal protection systems, or other environmental constraints. Partner closely with RF, electrical, mechanical, thermal, software, and systems engineering teams to ensure successful antenna implementation. Document requirements, design trades, simulation results, test data, and design recommendations. Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field with RF/EM focus. 5+ years of professional experience in antenna design, EM simulation, and antenna integration. Strong R&D experience in RF and antenna systems. Deep knowledge of aperture antennas, impedance matching, Smith chart usage, polariza