Sr. Paraglider & Parachute Engineer
Location: Playa Vista, California (in-person, five days per week)
Outpost is pioneering Earth return logistics for space. We're building vehicles that can return payloads from orbit safely and precisely enabling faster space-based manufacturing, global delivery, and entirely new capabilities in the space economy. Our spacecraft is already backed by the U.S. government with multiple missions ahead. We're a mission-focused team, building with urgency, grit, and care for the work we do and the people we do it with.
The Role
The Sr. Paraglider & Parachute Engineer will own the final, critical phase of the Outpost mission: the landing. While our deployable heat shield handles the hypersonic deceleration, it is the guided paraglider system that enables us to land payloads with "pinpoint" accuracy rather than just splashing down in the ocean or crashing in the desert. You will lead the design, development, and testing of high-performance paraglider & parachute systems. You will work at the intersection of soft-goods engineering, aerodynamics, and GNC, ensuring that our recovery system can deploy reliably at altitude and navigate to a precise landing zone.
Responsibilities
- Recovery System Architect: Lead the design and development of the parachute & paraglider recovery system, including canopy sizing, reefing strategies, and riser geometry.
- Textile & Manufacturing: Develop fabrication processes for complex soft goods. You will own material selection (ripstop nylon, Kevlar, Dyneema), patterning, and integration of hardware (steering lines, toggles, releases).
- Deployment Sequence: Design the deployment sequence for transitioning from the heatshield configuration, to drogue parachute flight, and on to stable paraglider flight, ensuring no entanglement during the critical handover.
- Flight Test Lead: Plan and execute flight tests (dropped from crane, aircraft, and balloon platforms) to validate opening characteristics and flight performance.
- GNC Integration: Collaborate closely with the Avionics and GNC teams to characterize the aerodynamic model of the paraglider, ensuring the autopilot can effectively steer the vehicle to the landing site.
- Hands-on Fabrication: Be willing to "cut cloth" and work with riggers and sewing technicians to prototype designs rapidly.
- Reliability: Own the reliability analysis for the recovery system, ensuring we meet the stringent safety requirements for returning critical payloads
Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- 10 years of experience minimum (15+ years preferred) in the design and manufacturing of paragliders, parachutes, or parafoils
- Deep knowledge of soft-goods: Expertise in textile behaviors, patterning software (e.g., SpaceCAD, Lectra, specialized CAD modules), and construction techniques for flight-critical fabrics.
- Flight Test Heritage: Experience planning and conducting flight tests, including instrumentation, ground support, and data analysis.
- Mechanism Experience: Familiarity with reefing line cutters, pyrotechnic releases, and multi-stage deployment mechanisms.
- Aerodynamics: Strong understanding of low-speed aerodynamics, glide ratios, flare characteristics, and dynamic stability of flexible wings.
- Team Player: Ability to communicate complex aerodynamic behaviors to software engineers and structural engineers to ensure the whole vehicle works as a system.
Preferred Experience
- Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Not required, but beneficial)
- Experience with precision guided aerial delivery systems (JPADS) or similar autonomous cargo delivery platforms.
- Experience with FAA coordination for flight testing in controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
- US military veterans, especially those with prior service as paratrooper or working closely with cargo aircraft
- Background in skydiving, paragliding, or rigging (FAA Master Rigger certification is a plus).
- Experience simulating fluid structure interaction & deformed shape analysis (LS-DYNA or similar).
Compensation & Benefits
- $160,000 – $210,000; Salary may vary with experience
- Incentive Stock Options
- Annual Performance-Based Bonus
- Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
- Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Life Insurance
- PTO
- 401k with Company match
- Subsidized daily catered lunch, snacks and coffee
