Mechanical Engineer II

Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Our Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launch capacity. But that’s just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock new opportunities to advance science, exploration, and innovation, pioneering progress that reaches beyond the known.

Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Here, you're not just executing tasks; you're solving problems that haven’t been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up. Whether you’re in propulsion, manufacturing, software, avionics, or a corporate function, you’ll collaborate across teams, shape decisions, and see your work come to life in record time. Relativity is a place where creativity and technical rigor go hand in hand, and your voice will help define the stories we’re writing together. Now is a unique moment in time where it’s early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The most meaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.

About the Team

The Stennis Test team designs, builds, and operates test sites to evaluate Terran R's high-energy components, rocket engines, and both booster and upper stages. Team members are hands-on with these large-scale, complex systems, pushing hardware to the limits and directly contributing to flight readiness. The work is fast-paced, highly operational, and collaborative. No aerospace experience required—we welcome fresh graduates as well as those with hands-on backgrounds in aviation, automotive, manufacturing, offshore operations, industrial systems, construction, or adjacent industries. As the Stennis Test site scales to meet growing demand, the team plays a critical role in paving the way for routine, reliable flights of Terran R.

About the Role

As a Propulsion Test Engineer II, you will work with test stands and test articles (high-energy components, engines, and full stages) for Terran R. You'll have the opportunity to see a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle and its many parts come to life through testing. Test and flight articles are designed and built in our Long Beach factory, then sent to Stennis to undergo rigorous testing. Entry-level engineers at our Stennis facility work in partnership with experienced engineers, technicians, and welders to build and modify test facilities and participate in test campaigns to evaluate complex rocket hardware. You'll solve a variety of technical problems across broad ranges of timeframe, complexity, and impact, and continuously improve processes to move faster and more efficiently. The role includes three focus areas - Design & Build, Operations, and Integration. You'll initially be placed on a team in one focus area, with opportunities to work across focuses as you develop in the role, particularly between Operations and Integration which work closely together.

[Design & Build Focus]
  1. Design fluid systems (gas, liquid, cryogenic) including Piping & Instruction Diagrams (P&IDs), analysis, and component selection
  2. Design structural and mechanical systems including 3D modeling, analysis, and fabrication drawings
  3. Source components and develop detailed fabrication work instructions
  4. Bring new test stands to life by managing fabrication, activation, and initial operations
  5. Design and implement upgrades to operational test stands to enable new test capabilities
  6. Maintain test stands through preventive maintenance and rapid response to anomalies & equipment failures
[Operations Focus]
  1. Conduct test operations on high-energy components, engines, and stages
  2. Control test stand and test article through GUIs and automation while monitoring cameras and telemetry
  3. Conduct flight acceptance, qualification, and development testing campaigns to validate designs and continuously improve the rocket
  4. Develop and optimize GUIs, procedures, control automation, and data review processes
  5. Prepare test articles for testing through inspections, functional checks, leak checks, and managing non-conformances
  6. Bring new test stands to life and support modifications and maintenance on existing facilities
Operations Engineers typically work a scheduled morning or evening shift

[Integration Focus]
  1. Manage test articles through test prep, post-test processing, and repairs
  2. Author work instructions for test articles and coordinate work with technicians and quality inspectors
  3. Manage non-conformances, author corrective work instructions, and implement part requirements
  4. Maintain work instructions current with evolving build specifications and drive standardization across sites
  5. Incorporate feedback and optimize part usage to streamline hardware flow and reduce waste
Integration Engineers typically work a scheduled morning or evening shift

About You
  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field
    • No aerospace experience needed—we value unique backgrounds and perspectives
  • Demonstrated ability to safely operate common power tools
  • Ability to deliver on tight schedules, especially when unconventional & creative solutions are necessary
  • This role may require travel to production and launch locations, up to 10%
  • Valid driver's license to operate vehicles on the test site
Nice to haves but not required
  • Proficiency in 3D modeling and drafting, including GD&T
  • Strong engineering fundamentals in Thermal Fluid Systems and Structures
  • Hands-on fabrication experience for complex assemblies
  • Working knowledge of fluid components and ability to understand/develop fluid P&IDs for large-scale test systems
  • Experience safely operating complex fluid systems, including high pressure gas, cryogenic fluids, flammables, and hydraulics
  • Technical writing or documentation experience

Successful candidates must clear a background check administered by the US government to obtain clearance for on-site work at our government partner location in Stennis, Mississippi.

At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation practices. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.

Compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To see some of the benefits & perks we offer, please visit here.

Hiring Range:

$104,000 - $156,000 USD

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at accommodations@relativityspace.com.

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Relativity Space? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

How did you hear about us? *
Select...

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”

The person hired will have access to information and items controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), and, therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license. To assist Relativity in assessing its export compliance obligations in relation to your application, please identify which statement best applies to you:

 

Select...
Select...
How did you hear about us? *

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Relativity Space’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.