Ground Software Engineer II, Arc Vehicle

Ground Software Engineer II, Arc Vehicle

Playa Vista, California, United States

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

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 Ground Software Engineer at Inversion, you will report directly to the Engineering Manager of Arc Vehicle Software. In this role, 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.

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.

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. 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. Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.