LA Aerospace Firm Hiring for ML Roles

Hermeus, founded in 2018, is developing aircraft to fly at Mach 5—over 3,000 miles per hour—with a long-term goal of enabling 90-minute flights between New York and Paris. The company is backed by a $100 million Series B funding round led by Sam Altman, with other investors including Founders Fund and the U.S. intelligence community's strategic investor, In-Q-Tel. The company's primary customer is the U.S. Department of Defense. Hermeus holds a $60 million partnership with the U.S. Air Force to develop and test its first aircraft, Quarterhorse, which is focused on unmanned, high-speed capabilities for national security missions. The required skill in AFSIM (Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling) points to the core of the work. AFSIM is a government-owned simulation framework managed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for creating complex military scenarios. Its modern architecture supports Python, allowing for integration with machine learning frameworks to analyze and optimize mission outcomes. Machine learning in this context is used for predictive maintenance, optimizing aircraft design, and enhancing the analysis of complex simulation data. By applying ML algorithms to simulation results, engineers can more rapidly test designs and operational tactics, a key part of developing hypersonic systems. These roles are part of a broader resurgence in L.A.'s aerospace sector, which added 11,000 jobs between 2022 and 2024. This growth is largely driven by private companies and a shift toward space systems, which now account for roughly 30% of local aerospace jobs, up from just 1% previously. The average wage in Los Angeles's aerospace and defense industry is approximately $141,110, more than double the county's average salary. This makes the sector highly competitive for top engineering talent, rivaling compensation in traditional Big Tech.