Senior Parachute Engineer, Development

Who We Are:

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse-drawn chariots, ocean-going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth.

What You’ll Do:

As a Parachute Engineer at Inversion, you will play a critical role in the design, functionality, and performance of our next-generation reentry vehicles. This is a unique opportunity to work on the early stages of vehicle design, including defining vehicle architecture and creatively solving new design challenges. You will be a key member of the Accurate Landing Team, reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, Accurate Landing. In this role, you will:

• Develop and own a variety of parachute systems from concept to manufacture.
• Support testing and design of Arc’s ram-air parachute and deployment systems.
• Work with other sub-teams to ensure ram-air canopies meet overall performance requirements.

Required Qualifications:

• Strong engineering design fundamentals.
• Experience with relevant CAD and design software (may include GliderPlan, Openglider, LEparagliding, AutoCAD, NX, etc.).
• Experienced in textile design and testing, including sewing machine operation.
• FAA Senior Rigger Certification.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Capable of working in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.
• This position is on-site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience designing ram-air canopies, from initial concept through production.
• Joint precision airdrop system (JPADS) design and testing experience.
• USPA Class D Sport Parachute license or equivalent.
• Paraglider, speed wing, wingsuit, or kite design and/or practical experience.
• Tandem, AFF, S&TA, or other skydiving instructional ratings.
• Heavy cargo airdrop experience.
• Military airdrop experience.
• Knowledge of simulation-based wing modeling, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and/or wind tunnel testing.

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 $135,000 - $159,000.  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.