Senior Test 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 Test Engineer at Inversion, you will own the planning and execution of critical mechanical test campaign s for one of the most capable reentry vehicles ever developed. You’ll lead testing from early component and subsystem development through integrated demonstration, working closely with design, analysis, manufacturing, and external test partners to retire risk and validate system performance. This is a unique opportunity to build and lead high-consequence mechanical test campaign s for a new aerospace vehicle from early development through qualification and production. You will be a key member of the Mechanical team, reporting to the Director of Mechanical. Key Responsibilities: Own the planning and execution of component, subsystem, and system-level test campaigns supporting deployment and separation mechanism development. Lead complex test campaigns to demonstrate system performance under representative environments. Develop test plans, procedures, success criteria, and test readiness documentation for mechanical development and validation activities. Coordinate closely with external test facilities and vendors to define test requirements, facility interfaces, schedules, constraints, and execution plans. Design and develop test fixtures, adapters, support equipment, and other GSE required to safely and effectively execute testing. Partner with structures, mechanisms, dynamics, and manufacturing engineers to ensure test articles, fixtures, and instrumentation support key technical objectives. Define instrumentation and data collection needs in collaboration with internal and external partners to ensure test results can validate performance and inform model correlation. Drive test campaign logistics including hardware readiness, facility integration, procedural development, configuration tracking, and execution coordination. Lead troubleshooting and issue resolution during test preparation and execution, and drive rapid turnaround on test learnings into follow-on hardware or procedures. Author test reports and communicate results, risks, and recommended next steps in design reviews and cross-functional program forums. Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent technical experience. Typically 5+ years of professional experience in development testing, qualification testing, or mechanical system test engineering for aerospace, defense, or similarly demanding applications. Experience developing and executing component and subsystem-level test campaigns for mechanical hardware. Experience writing test plans, procedures, test readiness documentation, and post-test reports. Experience designing test fixtures, adapters, tooling, or ground support equipment for mechanical or aerospace hardware. Strong understanding of mechanical systems, including structures, mechanisms, interfaces, an