Staff Aerothermal CFD Engineer

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth</strong></p></div><h3></h3> <p><strong>Who We Are:</strong></p> <p>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. </p> <p><strong>What You’ll Do:</strong></p> <p>Inversion’s lifting-body reentry platform will create a highly maneuverable, highly accurate, and low-cost vehicle that will be an industry-first. The Staff Aerothermal Engineer will be responsible for characterizing the aerothermodynamic environment on and around the vehicle with an emphasis on the rarefied flow regime. This role will be a key contributor to Inversion's advanced modeling efforts, and responsible for developing, improving, and implementing cutting-edge CFD tools and workflows. </p> <p>On a day-to-day basis, the staff aerothermal engineer will lead the creation of high-fidelity simulations, mentor team members, and act as the driving force behind our efforts to build confidence in our vehicle models. This is a unique opportunity to help define the CFD strategy for groundbreaking technology, creatively solve novel high-speed flow challenges, and play a pivotal role in the design of next-generation hypersonic systems.</p> <p>Successful candidates will have a background in DSMC simulation or familiarity with multi-physics plasma environments, a passion for pushing those tools to their limits and the drive to extend them when the work demands it.</p> <p><strong>Required Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience </li> <li>Typically, 9+ years of experience in hypersonic, supersonic, reentry, or rocketry external flow-field aerothermodynamic analysis</li> <li>Strong experience with high fidelity simulation of gas dynamics at conditions where inter-molecular forces must be considered (SPARTA, DAC, MAP, plasma simulation tools, etc.)</li> <li>Familiarity with Fidelity Pointwise, Link3D or equivalent meshing software for generating high-quality meshes suitable for a variety of simulations</li> <li>Strong knowledge of flows in thermal-chemical non-equilibrium</li> <li>Experience modeling mixed-regime flows such as plumes exhausting into rarefied flows.</li> <li>Experience integrating ground flight test data into aerothermal vehicle models</li> <li>Proficiency in uncertainty quantification relevant mathematical models</li> <li>Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products</li> </ul> <p><strong>Desired Qualifications:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Masters / PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field.</li> <li>Experience modifying CFD solvers or coupling them for multi-physics simulations</li> <li>Experience with high temperature gas flow solvers (US3D, DPLR and/or LAURA)</li> <li>Experience with modeling radiative heating using radiation transport tools</li> <li>Experience conducting a comprehensive CFD campaign, from a vehicle’s early stages to the first flight</li> <li>Experience using programming languages like Python, Fortran, C++, MATLAB, etc.</li> <li>Involvement in planning, leading, and/or post-processing arc-jet tunnel campaigns </li> </ul> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <p><sub><em>The California annual base salary for this role is currently $160 ... (truncated, view full listing at source)