---
title: 'Senior Test and Automation Engineer at Inversion'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-test-and-automation-engineer-inversion-playa-vista-california-ft0fxszmwvge'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Senior Test and Automation Engineer at Inversion

- **Company:** Inversion
- **Location:** Playa Vista California, United States
- **Posted:** 2026-06-25
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace/jobs/4709602005

## Job description

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.

## About the Role

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.

## What You'll Do

- 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.

Desired 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. 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](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 [CCPA Privacy Policy Notice](https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa) for further details.

## About Inversion

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Inversion builds advanced reentry vehicles to turn space into a global logistics network for Earth, enabling rapid, precise delivery of payloads anywhere on the planet.
- **Entity Type**: Private (funding stage: Series unknown; raised $44M from investors including Y Combinator, plus a $71M U.S. Space Force contract)
- **Headquarters**: Playa Vista, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Justin Fiaschetti and Austin Briggs

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Aerospace & Defense – Reentry vehicles, space logistics, hypersonic delivery
- **Target customers**: U.S. Department of Defense, national security agencies, and future commercial logistics operators (B2G / B2B)
- **Mission**: “To make Earth radically more accessible by turning space into a global logistics network.”

## Products & Services
- **Ray**: Inversion’s first in-house developed spacecraft and reentry capsule, built to validate key subsystems for future vehicles. Developed by a team of 25 for under $1M.
- **Arc**: Flagship autonomous, reusable, low-cost space-based delivery vehicle designed to deploy payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour. Dual-use for defense and commercial applications.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $44M (led by Y Combinator and other investors) + $71M Space Force contract
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Y Combinator, Anduril Industries (partnered on space-based interceptors for Golden Dome), U.S. Space Force
- **Growth Signals**: 60-person team, 55,000 sqft facility in Los Angeles, dedicated test site in Mojave Desert, successful orbital flight of Ray, partnership with Anduril for Golden Dome program

## Competitive Advantages
- **Speed & cost**: Entire spacecraft developed by 25 people for under $1M – dramatically faster and cheaper than traditional aerospace.
- **In-house vertical integration**: Nearly every system (propulsion, avionics, thermal protection, parachutes) developed internally.
- **Dual-use focus**: Technology serves urgent defense needs while laying groundwork for commercial logistics.
- **Experienced founding team**: Former SpaceX (Raptor engine) and ABL Space Systems engineers.

## Strategic Focus
- **Immediate priority**: Deliver on the Space Force contract and Golden Dome partnership with Anduril for space-based interceptors.
- **Long-term vision**: Build a reusable, on-demand logistics network using Low-Earth Orbit to enable global delivery in under an hour.
- **Technical roadmap**: Scale reentry vehicle production, improve landing precision, and expand military and commercial applications.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Emphasizes “talent density” and “extreme ownership” – a small, high-impact team where every engineer owns critical hardware flying in space.
- **Work environment**: Hands-on, fast iteration – rapid testing at Mojave test site, full machine shop, cleanroom integration facility, and parachute manufacturing on-site.
- **Hybrid / office**: Likely on-site heavy (engineering, manufacturing, testing); HQ in Playa Vista, CA.
- **Perks**: Generous parental leave, family and childcare benefits (per Built In).
- **Engineering culture**: Build and test own hardware; work across GNC, avionics, propulsion, structures, and simulation. 32 open roles on Greenhouse as of mid-2026.

## Sources
1. [inversionspace.com](https://www.inversionspace.com/)
2. [inversionspace.com/company](https://www.inversionspace.com/company)
3. [inversionspace.com/careers](https://www.inversionspace.com/careers)
4. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/inversionspace)
5. [builtin.com/company/inversion-space](https://builtin.com/company/inversion-space)

## Other roles at Inversion

- [Engineering Manager, Arc Vehicle Mechanical](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-arc-vehicle-mechanical-inversion-playa-vista-california-vxdkzp21errc) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Senior RF Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-rf-systems-engineer-inversion-playa-vista-california-0zq48yd93bcm) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Avionics Integration and Test Technician II](https://feeny.ai/job/avionics-integration-and-test-technician-ii-inversion-playa-vista-california-f2r8jdrna32d) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [TPS Technician I](https://feeny.ai/job/tps-technician-i-inversion-playa-vista-california-vj6ncz8mzvc5) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Avionics Mechanical Engineer I](https://feeny.ai/job/avionics-mechanical-engineer-i-inversion-playa-vista-california-3m74qzx075zt) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Senior Content Producer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-content-producer-inversion-playa-vista-california-nqxs51kfq2m3) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Senior System Administrator](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-system-administrator-inversion-playa-vista-california-wjh2av77xsz5) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Reentry)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-engineer-reentry-inversion-playa-vista-california-t4e1n3tb7www) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Senior Propulsion Development Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-propulsion-development-engineer-inversion-playa-vista-california-dfkke9y60xte) — Playa Vista California, United States
- [Senior Mechatronics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechatronics-engineer-inversion-playa-vista-california-93k5aymb465v) — Playa Vista California, United States