Director of Mission Products & Payload Integration

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth Who We Are: Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space.   Our mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. We see space not as a destination, but as a platform — one that unlocks unprecedented speed and global reach.   Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, and operating at hypersonic speeds.   Inherently dual-use, our technology is built to meet urgent national security needs while laying the groundwork for future commercial applications. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and working with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Inversion is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space-based defense and logistics. Position Overview:  We're looking for a Director or Senior Director of Mission Products & Payload Integration to lead this new organization. You'll sit at the intersection of engineering, product, mission design, and customer needs — defining and building the technical products that make Arc valuable: payload bay architectures, mounting solutions, trajectory and mission design offerings, and the avionics and software interfaces that make payload integration seamless.  This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role. The ideal candidate combines deep aerospace engineering judgment with strong product instincts, customer empathy, and the ability to lead high-performing teams. You should have a strong sense for what hypersonic test customers, defense customers, and advanced payload developers will want to fly — and how their payloads need to interface mechanically, electrically, thermally, and digitally with Arc.  Key Responsibilities:  Product & Roadmap Leadership  Define and own the technical roadmap for Arc's mission product layer — payload integration, mission design, and customer-facing capabilities  Identify new product opportunities driven by customer demand across hypersonic testing, defense, space systems, materials, sensors, communications, and other advanced aerospace fields  Drive roadmap execution through engineering, from concept through flight  Payload Bay & Accommodation  Own Arc's payload bay design strategy and accommodation approach  Define standard payload envelopes, mounting solutions, modular interface concepts, and environmental constraints  Develop separation and deployment options and customer-specific integration approaches  Partner with vehicle engineering to translate customer needs into robust, manufacturable, flight-ready interfaces  Mission Design & Analysis  Lead development of customer-facing mission design capabilities: trajectory design, mission analysis, flight environment characterization, launch vehicle integration, and CONOPS development  Collaborate across GNC, flight software, avionics, structures, thermal, propulsion, recovery, business development, and program teams  Payload Interface Ecosystem  Define the avionics, software, data, and customer interface ecosystem that enables efficient payload integration  Deliver payload electrical interfaces, command and data handling, and telemetry access  Build mission planning tools, software APIs, test equipment, integration documentation, and customer onboarding workflows  Customer Engagement  Serve as one of Arc's primary technical voices with customers — communicating capabilities, shaping mission concepts, and advancing customer objectives  Work directly with business development to identify patterns across customer payloads and translate them into scalable product offerings  Team Building & Leadership  Recruit, manage, and develop a multidisciplinary team owning mission products end-to-end  Team may include mission designers, systems engineers, payload integration engineers, mechanical engineers, avionics/software interface engineers, and technical product leads  Set technical direction, manage priorities, and build a culture of creativity, accountability, and excellence  Required Qualifications:  10+ years of applicable experience  Deep aerospace engineering background across spacecraft, launch vehicles, reentry vehicles, missiles, hypersonics, aircraft, or advanced defense systems   Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams through complex product development, system integration, test, and flight operations   Experience with payload integration, mission design, systems engineering, avionics or mechanical interfaces, launch integration, or flight test programs   Technical depth to make sound architectural decisions across mechanical, electrical, software, thermal, GNC, trajectory, and operational domains   Strong product instincts — ability to turn ambiguous customer needs into clean, repeatable technical offerings   Understanding of how aerospace customers think about payloads, test objectives, mission assurance, flight environments, data collection, and integration risk   Excellent communication skills, especially translating complex engineering into clear customer-facing options    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 $180,000 - 260,000. 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 https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987.     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.  If you are a US Job Applicant see the https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa for further details. Offices: Playa Vista, California, United States (Playa Vista (HQ));