Job Description

Senior Flight Software Engineer

Own the flight software stack for a new reentry vehicle from concept to deployment

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Compensation: $140,000 - 178,000 USD / year

Job Tags: Software

About The Role

Senior Flight Software Engineer

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

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 Senior Flight Software Engineer at Inversion, you will have an instrumental impact on the design, functionality, and performance of our next‑generation re‑entry vehicles. You will own a substantial aspect of the flight software stack that enables our spacecraft to complete its mission of extended operation in space, eventually returning on Earth to be recovered. Your impact will encompass all aspects of flight software, including commanding, telemetry, and implementation of control algorithms running on custom hardware that flies the world’s first re‑entry vehicle designed for turning space into a viable transportation layer for Earth. You will be a key member of the Processing Core team, reporting directly to the Director of Engineer, Processing Core.

This role is all‑encompassing, and includes the complete lifecycle of the vehicle’s software including:

• Owning critical software components for a new vehicle, from initial concept through design, implementation, testing, and deployment
• Writing and testing software for spacecraft, including drivers, networking, fault management, and attitude control interfaces
• Assisting in creating and executing tests, including HITL (hardware in the loop) and HOOTL/SITL (software in the loop) testing, integration testing, and unit testing
• Assisting with the growth and development of the software organization, including conducting interviews and mentoring/onboarding other engineers and interns

We’re a mission‑driven team passionate about pushing the limits of space exploration. While there may be moments when the excitement calls for extended hours or weekend work, we prioritize creating an environment where our engineers feel inspired, supported, and constantly challenged to grow.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of software development experience with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Experience working in a systems level language like Rust, C++, or C
• Experience working in a Linux development environment
• Experience with tools and processes related to software development such as version control, code reviews, issue tracking, and CI/CD environments.
• An innovative and optimistic approach to your work in a dynamic and uncertain environment
• Position may require occasional extended hours and/or weekend work.
• Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. All jobs require you to work onsite unless otherwise stated in the job description.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with safety critical systems or other fault tolerant systems
• Familiarity with utilizing Python or similar language for testing and tooling
• Hands‑on experience developing, testing, and/or operating spacecraft, flight hardware, HITL (hardware-in-the-loop), flat‑sats, and avionics systems
• Experience collaborating with GNC engineers and developing interfaces to sensors (IMUs, GPSs, Star Trackers, etc.)
• Experience with networking concepts (TCP, UDP, Ethernet, etc.)
• Experience with low‑level communication protocols (CANbus, UART, I2C, RS422/485, etc.)
• Familiarity with the Linux kernel and interfacing with it (kernel modules, device trees, etc.). Extra points for embedded Linux experience (Yocto, Buildroot, or similar)
• Prior experience working in startups and small independent teams

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $140,000 - 178,000. 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.

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