Combustion Devices- Senior Propulsion Design Engineer

Long Beach, California

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 propulsion team at Relativity is responsible for the successful development of the engines that will power the Terran R vehicle. We own their design from concept through to launch and reuse. Our team partners heavily with manufacturing, test, launch, and integration teams, striving to develop our engines in record time and to support Terran R's first launch in 2026. As part of this team, you will help build, test, and iterate on the full product lifecycle of our Aeon-R engine systems, seeing them mature and eventually bring Terran R into space.

About the Role: 

You will own propulsion combustion devices and/or systems from concept through manufacturing and implementation. This role involves a range of skillsets: design, analysis (structural, thermal, fluid), manufacturing, test, project management, and communication. You will work across teams and departments and take ownership of projects of your creation. In order to be successful in this role, you should be someone who thrives in ambiguity and be capable of leading collaborative projects to completion with minimal oversight. 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.

About You:  

  • Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field
  • 5+ years of experience working in the development of propulsion components, combustion components, or related hardware
  • Demonstrated ability to own hardware through a production lifecycle
  • Experience applying engineering fundamentals in thermodynamics, thermal, structural, and fluids

Nice to haves but not required:  

  • Experience in a rocket engine development and/or test environment
  • Clear evidence of ownership from school or work experience
  • Working knowledge of engine subsystems such as combustion devices, heat exchangers, ducting
  • Exposure to powder bed additive manufacturing and automation techniques

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:

$142,000 - $181,500 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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