GNC Engineer I

Who We Are:  

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.

What You’ll Do: 
As a GNC Engineer at Inversion, you will support the development and validation of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control that enables precise reentry flight. You will work closely with senior engineers to improve our simulation and test infrastructure, validate sensor and actuator models, strengthen software quality through unit testing, and contribute directly to flight algorithm development. This is a unique opportunity to work on the early stages of a novel reentry vehicle and build the foundation for real flight performance. In this role, you will: 

• Support development of tools used to review, process, and visualize test data. 

• Support sensor and actuator model validation through analysis and correlation with test results. 

• Contribute to unit testing and software quality efforts for GNC code. 

• Support development and tuning of reentry flight algorithms. 

• Build modeling and simulation capability needed to evaluate algorithm performance and iterate quickly. 

• Work closely with flight software, test, and systems engineers to mature GNC architecture and implementation. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience. 

• 1+ years of applicable internship, research, or professional experience developing and testing GNC algorithms, controls, or dynamic system models. 

• Strong fundamental understanding of dynamics, estimation, and control. 

• Proficiency in programming languages such as MATLAB, Python, or C++ for simulation and analysis. 

• Experience with data analysis, scripting, and technical problem solving. 

• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

• Capable of working in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or a related field. 

• Experience with Kalman filtering, sensor fusion, or state estimation. 

• Experience with sensor and actuator model validation or system identification. 

• Experience writing unit tests or working in software quality workflows. 

• Hardware in the Loop (HITL) or flight test data analysis experience. 

• Experience deploying code to embedded or compute-restricted systems. 

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $77,000-$116,000. 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.