Senior Test and Automation Engineer

Inversion Space · Playa Vista, CA

Level: Senior
Team: Controls
Base pay: $137k–$193k
Experience asked: 5+ years
Industry: Aerospace & defense
Posted: 30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A senior controls role at Inversion Space (aerospace & defense) in Playa Vista, CA. You will work as part of the simulation team to build, test, maintain, and develop the automated software and hardware systems that support the simulation and test environments for our flight systems.

They ask for: 5+ years
Tools it names: Robotics, Automation
Base pay: $137k–$193k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

How this role compares

Against 82 other live controls postings in California.

Base pay: About 9% above similar roles
Experience asked: Typical (5+ years)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Automation 60%
PLC 45%
✓ Python 40%
Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 37%
✓ Robotics 31%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 5+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Inversion Space
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Inversion Space in Playa Vista

7 other open roles at this site.

Hardware Test and Automation Engineer I · Controls
Senior CNC Programmer · Manufacturing · Technician
Electrical Test and Assembly Technician II · Reliability · Technician
Senior Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing · Senior
Senior Chemical Process Engineer · Process · Senior
Senior Tooling Engineer · Manufacturing · Senior

All 8 roles at Inversion Space →

Full description from Inversion SpaceAs posted on their careers site.Show

Key Responsibilities

◆Automate provisioning, deployment, execution, operation, and logging tasks to optimize resource utilization and allocation
◆Develop automated test scripts to support qualification efforts for our flight software and hardware systems
◆Develop device API wrappers for EGSE equipment (e.g.: to control power supplies, oscilloscopes, etc., via automated test scripts)
◆Develop emulators for flight hardware to support software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
◆Contribute to the design and development of a simulation system capable of automatically provisioning and deploying resources to support simulation workflows

Required Qualifications

✓5+ years of professional experience in testing and automation of software and hardware systems
✓Proficiency in one or more scripting languages (Python, Lua, Bash, PowerShell, etc.)
✓Proficiency in one or more embedded languages (C/C++, Rust, etc.)
✓Experience with Linux-based systems
✓Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Qualifications

✓Proficiency in the integration and testing of mission- and safety-critical electronics
✓Experience with modern DevOps practices
✓Experience with async and multithreaded architectures
✓Experience with data acquisition and logging
✓Experience with robotics middleware and autonomy stacks (ROS 2, Webots, Orocos, YARP, etc.)
✓Familiarity with time-series databases (InfluxDB, QuestDB, Prometheus, etc.)
✓Familiarity with message-oriented middleware (NATS, Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, etc.)
✓Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Docker Compose, etc.)

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 $137,000 - $193,000. 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.

Show full description ↓

Advanced Reentry Technologies

Who We Are

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.

Position Overview

As a Test and Automation Engineer at Inversion, you will work as part of the simulation team to build, test, maintain, and develop the automated software and hardware systems that support the simulation and test environments for our flight systems. The simulation team is responsible for ensuring that flight software and flight hardware can be continuously integrated and tested under realistic flight conditions. You will play a key role in the automation of electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test benches that will enable fast, repeatable development and deployment workflows across the engineering stack. Your work will empower Inversion’s engineering teams to iterate rapidly throughout the development life cycle and will strengthen Inversion’s ability to put our products into the hands of our customers with unprecedented speed and agility.

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 .