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Senior Parachute Engineer, Development

Inversion

Inversion

playa vista, los angeles, ca, usa
USD 135k-159k / year
Posted on Apr 26, 2025

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

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.

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.
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.