Simulation Engineer I, Arc Vehicle

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.

What You'll Do

As a Simulation Engineer at Inversion, you will focus on developing, automating, and maintaining the simulation and testing environments that validate our flight systems. You will play a key role in bridging the gap between GNC, Software, and Simulation teams, specifically supporting the pipeline that translates MATLAB-based GNC algorithms into autocoded C/C++ flight software. Working under the guidance of senior simulation engineers, you will build tools and workflows that enable fast, repeatable verification of flight software and hardware under realistic flight conditions using Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and maintain simulation models for spacecraft subsystems, environmental dynamics, and hardware interfaces.
• Support the execution, automation, and scaling of Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing runs.
• Write and optimize data-processing pipelines and visualization scripts to analyze simulation outputs and verify vehicle-level requirements.
• Integrate internal guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithms, aerodynamic databases, and sensor models into the core simulation platform.
• Develop and run automated unit tests, integration tests, and regression suites to ensure simulation platform stability.
• Maintain and troubleshoot simulation backend infrastructure, high-performance computing (HPC) nodes, and physical testbeds.
• Document simulation setups, API interfaces, and user guides to empower product engineering teams to run self-service simulation workflows.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 1+ years of internship, academic research, or professional experience developing software, physics-based simulations, or numerical models.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ or Python in a Linux environment.
• Strong foundational understanding of physics, classical mechanics, dynamics, and numerical analysis.
• Familiarity with standard software development practices, including version control (Git).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a strong motivation to learn and take on technical ownership of complex codebases.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with aerospace simulation tools, physics engines, or numerical frameworks (such as MATLAB/Simulink, ROS/ROS2, or custom C++ engines).
• Familiarity with continuous integration (CI/CD) pipelines, containerization (Docker), and cloud or HPC infrastructure.
• Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, processors-in-the-loop (PIL), or interfacing hardware with software simulations.
• Demonstrated technical execution through collegiate engineering teams (such as Formula SAE, rocket clubs, or robotics design groups).
• Prior internship experience in a fast-paced aerospace, robotics, or high-tech startup environment.

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 $71,000 - $124,000. 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.

ITAR Compliance:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.

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