What You'll Do: 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
- This position is on-site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA.
- 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
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.
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.
