Outpost

Senior Paraglider & Parachute Engineer

Los Angeles, California · Senior

Sponsorship not specified$160k-$210kDetected 8 days ago

CybersecurityLogisticsAvionicsMechanical DesignAerospace Engineering

About the role

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 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.

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
Flight Test Heritage: Experience planning and conducting flight tests, including instrumentation, ground support, and data analysis.

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.
Team Player: Ability to communicate complex aerodynamic behaviors to software engineers and structural engineers to ensure the whole vehicle works as a system.

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
Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Not required, but beneficial)
Experience with precision guided aerial delivery systems (JPADS) or similar autonomous cargo delivery platforms.
Preferred Experience

Aerodynamics: Strong understanding of low-speed aerodynamics, glide ratios, flare characteristics, and dynamic stability of flexible wings.

This listing is sourced directly from Outpost's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.