Lead, Propulsion Development Engineering

Long Beach, California

At Relativity Space, we have two audacious goals: to build the next great commercial launch company with Terran R and to become America's leading force in additive manufacturing innovation. Both contribute to our long-term vision of creating humanity’s industrial base on Mars, paving the way for interplanetary life to expand the possibilities of the human experience. This journey begins right here on Earth – where we design, build, and fly rockets to deliver customer payloads to orbit. Terran R, our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, fulfills the growing demand for launch capacity, thanks to our iterative approach that accelerates design, testing, and development while minimizing costs. While our groundbreaking research and development in 3D printing pushes the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing.

Your journey with us is more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to shape the future of aerospace technology, additive manufacturing, and the human experience alongside a community of passionate, creative individuals. Join us on this extraordinary journey, as we work together to transform our vision into reality.

About the Team:  

The Propulsion Engineering team at Relativity Space is responsible for engines that will power the Terran R launch vehicle. We own the design from concept through successful launch and reuse and we work with our partner teams to manufacture, test and integrate those engines. We’re developing these engines in record time, going from initial sizing point of the Aeon R engine in early 2022 to a successful integrated, full duration hot fire test in late 2023. Over the next year, we will test 3 iterations of Aeon R, our booster engine, culminating in qualification for flight, and test our first iteration or Aeon R Vac, our second stage engine. As a part of this team, you will help build, test and iterate on the full product lifecycle of our Aeon-R engine systems from concept through launch and reuse.

About the Role: 

This role may span several areas of our team depending on your skillset and the team’s needs at the time. The core technical responsibilities of the role & of your team are driving engine system (architecture + CONOPS) trades, managing engine interfaces & negotiating requirements to optimize for the vehicle, and supporting engine system development overall. You may additionally support engine system analysis and simulation, engine testing, tool development, and more. In engineering at the system level, you will be expected not just to coordinate & facilitate amongst other technical teams, but to bring your own deep technical acumen to bear on problems in this highly technical role – and to coach the folks on your team to do the same. 

You will also lead a small team of engineers with similar responsibilities as the above. This will require mentorship, project management, establishing priorities, communicating with leadership, providing technical guidance, and recruiting. Leaders at Relativity are expected to be both people leaders & highly technical – you will balance your time between effectively supporting your team’s growth and success at Relativity and making direct technical contributions of your own. You will serve as a mentor to guide the team, but will also learn from peers & mentors of your own within propulsion & the broader company. And in addition to learning from each other, we all learn from the engine – Aeon R is a novel engine that’s never been built before, and with every engine test it gives us new mysteries to solve and challenges to grow from. 

In order to be successful in this role, you should be capable of leading collaborative projects to completion with minimal oversight and supporting your team in doing the same. You should also be a self-starter who is always looking for ways to improve yourself & your team, and learn more about the systems that interface with yours. You should be someone who cares deeply about the people on your team & is invested in their growth. Along with these high expectations comes the opportunity to have a significant influence on a fast-growing startup company and to make rapid professional gains in an environment that encourages growth and risk. 

This role is full-time onsite at our factory in Long Beach, CA. This role requires an average of 15% travel to our test & launch sites and may occasionally require shifted schedules or weekend work for critical milestones.  

About You:  

  • Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
  • 5+ years of relevant engineering experience, preferably in a complex system development and/or test environment
  • 2+ years of direct experience with liquid-propellant rocket engines in a simulation, test, system engineering, or other development role
  • Experience applying engineering fundamentals in fluid mechanics & thermodynamics
  • Experience driving to deliver on ambitious schedules, even and especially if unconventional & creative solutions are necessary to do so
  • Strong leadership potential, which could be demonstrated e.g. through mentoring, managing complex interdisciplinary projects, supporting continuous improvement of the people around you, or participating in growing your team through hiring 

Nice to haves but not required:  

  • Prior experience leading teams 
  • Working knowledge of fluid components such as valves and instrumentation
  • Working knowledge of engine subsystems such as combustion devices and turbomachinery

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:

$138,000 - $169,000 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.

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