Staff Flight Software Engineer, Arc Vehicle

Inversion is an aerospace and defense company pioneering advanced reentry technology to enable next-generation capabilities from space. By combining high-performance materials, precision aerodynamics, and mission-driven autonomy, Inversion is transforming reentry into an operational capability for an entirely new class of missions.

The company’s highly maneuverable reentry spacecraft, Arc, is designed for rapid global cargo delivery, hypersonic testing, and other national security missions that require precise, controlled flight through the atmosphere. Arc creates an entirely new transportation domain, unlocking unprecedented speed and global reach.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Inversion designs, manufactures, and integrates its spacecraft under one roof, enabling the company to move rapidly from concept to flight. The company is backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, with customers across the U.S. government and commercial space industry.

As a Staff Flight Software Engineer at Inversion, you will report directly to the Engineering Manager of Arc Vehicle Software. In this role, you will be a principal software architect and technical authority for the flight software running on our next-generation Arc hypersonic reentry vehicle. You will own the flight software architecture end-to-end, solving unprecedented technical challenges at the intersection of embedded hardware, safety-critical control loops, and autonomous flight state machines. 

• →Architect, write, and maintain high-reliability, fault-tolerant flight software in for the Arc vehicle. 
• →Own the software architecture for critical vehicle state transitions, fault-management, power conservation, and autonomous mission execution. 
• →Lead the integration and optimization of complex multi-rate Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) algorithms from the Reentry and Accurate Landing teams into the core C++ flight software loop. 
• →Establish company-wide embedded C++ development standards, coding guidelines, and software architectural patterns. 
• →Drive hardware-software boundary definition, board bring-up, and low-level debugging on target flight computer processors. 
• →Design and lead the development of highly automated Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test suites to achieve robust code coverage. 
• →Mentor senior and mid-level software engineers, fostering a culture of rigorous software engineering and technical excellence. 
• →Collaborate with cross-functional system architects to define telemetry formats, communication protocols, and hardware interface controls. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience. 
• Typically 9+ years of professional experience developing embedded, real-time, or safety-critical software. 
• Expertise in systems programming languages (C / C++ / Rust) in a Linux-based development environment. 
• Deep understanding of embedded Linux, deterministic software execution, multi-threading, and memory management in resource-constrained environments. 
• Proven track record of architecting and deploying flight software or high-reliability autonomous software on hardware that has successfully operated in flight or harsh environments. 
• Strong background in low-level drivers, networking, and hardware interface protocols (such as CAN, Ethernet, SPI, UART, or RS-422). 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to lead complex software design reviews. 
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance. 

• Experience developing flight software for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or safety-critical autonomous aerospace platforms. 
• Familiarity with physical system modeling, 6DOF simulations, or GNC algorithm execution. 
• Extensive experience with modern CI/CD systems, software test automation, and embedded compiler toolchains. 
• Prior experience in a fast-paced aerospace startup. 

_{The California annual base salary for this role is currently $165,000 - $236,000.  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.}