TPS Technician I — Hypersonic Vehicle Assembly

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 TPS Technician at Inversion, you will support the fabrication, application, assembly, inspection, and repair of thermal protection system (TPS) hardware for the Arc hypersonic reentry vehicle. You will work directly with engineers, technicians, and production personnel to turn released TPS designs and processes into flight-ready hardware. This is a hands-on role focused on precise execution, workmanship, and process discipline. You will prepare vehicle surfaces and TPS components, perform bonding and assembly operations, support fit checks and inspections, and document work in accordance with released procedures. Required Qualifications: High school diploma or GED. Typically 1+ years of hands-on experience in manufacturing, composites, aerospace assembly, automotive bodywork, fabrication, bonding, coatings, or a related hardware environment. Demonstrated attention to detail, strong craftsmanship, and pride in producing high-quality work. Ability to follow detailed work instructions, drawings, inspection requirements, and safety procedures. Experience using common hand tools, measuring tools, and shop equipment. Ability to perform repetitive, precise manual work while maintaining consistent quality. Ability to work with adhesives, sealants, coatings, and cleaning materials while following applicable PPE and safety requirements. Strong organization and documentation discipline. Ability to lift 50 lbs. unassisted and work in various positions, including standing, kneeling, bending, crawling, and overhead work. Ability to work non-standard shifts, overtime, and weekends as required to support vehicle builds, test campaigns, and flight operations. Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills. Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/ Top Secret security clearance. Desired Qualifications: Experience with thermal protection systems, high-temperature insulation, ceramic materials, ablative materials, composites, or bonded aerospace structures. Experience with aerospace cleaning, surface preparation, masking, bonding, curing, or controlled-material handling. Familiarity with work orders, drawings, bills of materials, inventory systems, and configuration-controlled manufacturing environments. Experience operating shop equipment such as vacuum systems, ovens, curing equipment, mixers, sanders, cutting tools, or inspection equipment. Familiarity with aerospace quality practices, foreign object debris prevention, non-conformance documentation, and traceability requirements. Experience supporting spacecraft, launch vehicle, aircraft, UAV, motorsport, or other high-performance hardware builds. Prior experience in a fast-paced startup, prototype, R&D, or high-mix/low-volume production environment. Ability to provide practical feedback on work instructions, tooling, material handling, and build processes to improve safety, quality, and execution. Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in office presence. The California hourly pay for this role is currently $28 - $37. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here . Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability. Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. If you are a US Job Applicant see the CCPA Privacy Policy Notice for further details. Create a Job Alert Interested in building your career at Inversion? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email. Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf LinkedIn Profile What are your hourly rate ($USD) expectations? If you do not currently live within commuting distance of our headquarters in Playa Vista, CA, are you willing to relocate for this position? * Select... Are you authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship? * Select... Were you referred to Inversion by a current employee? Select... If you were referred, please provide the name of the employee. 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. Do you meet the above criteria? * Select... This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance, although a clearance may not be required immediately. Do you meet the requirements to obtain and maintain a clearance if needed for the role? * Select... Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file. As set forth in Inversion’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. #J-18808-Ljbffr Inversion