Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth
Who We Are:
Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominate 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 Inversion's Head of Avionics Engineering, you will spearhead the creation, design, and leadership of Inversion's avionics, electrical, and harnessing teams. Your leadership will extend to every vehicle we fly, and the infrastructure used to develop, produce, and operate our next-generation reentry vehicles. You will lead a talented team of avionics engineers and work collaboratively with other engineering disciplines, including aerodynamics, structures, and propulsion, to ensure seamless integration of avionics systems throughout the spacecraft. We are looking for somebody who not only knows the ins and outs of avionics systems, but also somebody who can bring a modern touch and apply cutting edge computation, components, practices, and workflows to the industry that have yet to be widely adopted. Your influence will be instrumental in shaping every vehicle that we build. This is an unparalleled opportunity to leave a profound mark on the future of Inversion. Joining Inversion in this capacity offers a unique chance to make a change to an early-stage startup. Here, you will be able to have an impact on an entirely new form of transportation in a dynamic and exciting setting that fosters innovation, agility, and growth.
In this role, you will be an integral part of a small cohort of experienced leaders tasked with shaping the future of engineering at Inversion.
- Report directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
- Lead the architecture and design of Inversion’s vehicle flight avionics including flight controls, navigation, communication, and data acquisition.
- Establish and execute the avionics strategy for Inversion.
- Lead, mentor, scale, and manage the avionics and electrical teams as we scale up for flight.
- Define avionics design standards, processes, and best practices to ensure efficient development and potential certification of the avionics system.
- Work closely with cross-functional teams, including aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, and software, to ensure integration of avionics systems into the overall spacecraft architecture.
- Create the first highly-producible and robust architecture system for a spacecraft.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- 10-12+ years of experience in building flight system avionics and state-of-the-art complex electrical systems.
- Proven track record in designing, developing, and certifying avionics systems for aerospace applications.
- Demonstrated management expertise in leading and developing engineering teams.
- Extensive knowledge of the use of modern sate-of-the-art components, systems, and practices beyond traditional aerospace.
- Demonstrated success in architecting and implementing complex systems.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Position may require extended work hours and weekend work.
- Our office headquarters is located in Torrance, CA. All jobs require you to work onsite unless otherwise stated in the job description.
Desired Qualifications:
- Adeptness at getting hands-on with PCB design (Altium), CAD, and/or simulation tools.
- Experience collaborating with GNC engineers on controls systems or integrating their sensors and actuators into a broader vehicle's avionics.
- Possessing a comprehensive understanding of distributed network systems.
- Prior experience certifying avionics systems for flight with regulatory bodies.
- Prior experience in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Having an unambiguous product vision and drive to transform ideas into reality.
- Possessing an active Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability and willingness to obtain a clearance.
The California annual base salary for this role is currently $200,000 - $350,000. 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.
