Principal TPS Materials Engineer

Position Overview:

Inversion's reentry vehicles depend on thermal protection materials that perform like the state of the art but cost far less. As the Principal Materials Scientist, you will lead the development of a family of high-performance, low-cost ablative TPS materials — owning them from formulation through automated production at scale. In this role, you will:

• Develop new ablative TPS material formulations optimized for performance and cost
• Characterize material response across harsh thermal environments
• Prototype material fabrication at small scale and mature it toward flight quality
• Automate fabrication at large scale, drawing on composite manufacturing methods such as automated tape winding, mandrel tooling design, and elevated-temperature curing
• Plan and execute material characterization campaigns spanning thermal response testing and mechanical property testing across a wide temperature range
• Work with outside vendors, test facilities, and suppliers to bring new materials, capabilities, and processes in-house at Inversion
• Mentor senior and early-career engineers across the organization 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience in a relevant field
• Typically, 12+ years of professional experience developing, formulating, or producing materials for extreme temperature environments
• Experience with at least one of: carbon phenolic ablators, reinforced carbon/carbon, or refractory ceramic matrix composites
• Experience with material characterization testing, including both thermal response testing and material strength testing across a wide temperature range
• Experience prototyping and scaling material fabrication processes
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• PhD in Materials Science or a related field
• Hands-on background with woven, felted, or needled high-temperature fiber preforms and material architectures
• Experience organizing and executing arc jet material response test campaigns
• Experience with large-scale composite manufacturing automation (automated tape laying/winding, filament winding, mandrel tooling, autoclave or oven cure development)
• Experience with ablation and thermal response modeling tools (e.g., FIAT, CHAR, PATO)
• Experience with thermophysical and thermochemical property measurement (TGA/DSC, laser flash, dilatometry)
• Experience taking a new material from laboratory formulation through qualification for flight
• Familiarity with non-destructive evaluation methods for composite and ablative structures
• Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent 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 $175,000-$244,000. 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.}