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 Ground Software Engineer at Inversion you will build, integrate, and test the mission control software, real-time telemetry processing pipelines, and data visualization tools required to operate and monitor the Arc vehicle. You will own the development of user interfaces and backend applications used in both test and operations.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, develop, and maintain the backend architectures, telemetry parsers, and command pipelines that support ground operations and flight tests.
- Build highly reliable, low-latency operator displays and data visualization interfaces used during vehicle testing and missions.
- Develop, package, and deploy automated software tools to orchestrate and monitor Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulation runs.
- Define and implement communication protocol structures, serialization standards, and data definitions (e.g., JSON, Protobuf, YAML) between flight and ground hardware.
- Build and maintain high-rate time-series databases and data storage solutions for rapid post-test analysis and archive searching.
- Integrate ground station software interfaces to manage uplink and downlink RF hardware, tracking antennas, and network routing.
- Provide direct, real-time software support during integrated vehicle testing, troubleshooting networking or command-and-control drops.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
- Typically 2+ years of professional experience developing software, with a focus on ground control systems, telemetry pipelines, or distributed systems.
- Proficiency in Rust a Linux environment.
- Experience working with network communication protocols (such as TCP, UDP, and WebSockets).
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to coordinate across software and hardware teams.
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.
Desired Qualifications:
- Experience working in full-stack software development.
- Familiarity with existing aerospace mission control and ground software frameworks (such as COSMOS, Open MCT, Yamcs, or similar).
- Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern DevOps practices (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
- Familiarity with RF communication systems, satellite link characteristics, or digital signal processing.
- Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent engineering 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 $101,000 - $160,000. 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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience
- Typically 2+ years professional software development experience (ground control systems, telemetry pipelines, or distributed systems)
- Proficiency in Rust and experience in a Linux environment
- Experience with network communication protocols such as TCP, UDP, and WebSockets
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to coordinate across software and hardware teams
- U.S. person status per ITAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorizations)
- Full-stack software development experience
- Familiarity with aerospace mission control/ground software frameworks (COSMOS, Open MCT, Yamcs, or similar)
- Experience with containerization and DevOps (Docker, Kubernetes, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
- Familiarity with RF communication systems, satellite link characteristics, or digital signal processing
- Prior experience working in startups or small independent engineering teams
Inversion Space Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Inversion Space and has not been reviewed or approved by Inversion Space.
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Parental & Family Support — Public company profiles highlight generous parental leave, indicating a formal policy for new parents. Benefit listings specifically call out parental leave as part of the offering.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Unlimited PTO is described along with flexible hours, suggesting broad latitude to take time away when needed. Roles are largely on-site due to hardware work, but day-to-day scheduling flexibility is still referenced.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Job postings consistently disclose base-pay ranges for many roles, providing upfront visibility into expected compensation. Listings show banded ranges aligned to seniority levels, aiding calibration for candidates.
Inversion Space Insights
What We Do
Inversion is developing low-cost, high cadence re-entry vehicles. Returning cargo & resources will be essential for humanity to continue to grow within low-earth orbit and beyond. We believe in a future where returning from space is as common as launching to space. Join us: https://boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace
