Director, Stage Manufacturing

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 Manufacturing team owns all process development, fabrication strategy, and production equipment for Terran R, our next generation, reusable rocket. This team has a wide variety of responsibilities – from factory floor layout, to developing complex tooling for novel processes, and interfacing with our vehicle engineering team to heavily influence design of the rocket. We leverage our deep expertise to translate engineering requirements into highly optimized production lines, working cross functionally to consistently enhance the vehicle program. 

About the Role:

  • Lead the manufacturing and scaling of primary structure and final integration production for Terran R stages, ensuring precision, quality, and efficiency in vehicle assembly from structural integration to full vehicle completion.
  • Build, develop, and scale a diverse, high-performing manufacturing team and productions systems to support significant ramp up of Terran R stages, while maintaining operational efficiency and adherence to aerospace quality standards.
  • Develop and execute long-term strategies for manufacturing scalability, leveraging automation, process optimization, and supply chain partnerships to meet increasing production demands for high-rate vehicle assembly. 
  • Drive rapid iteration on new production processes, balancing speed with manufacturing rigor to enable the efficient development and deployment of new aerospace products, including stage assembly and integration. 
  • Collaborate closely with engineering, supply chain, and quality teams to ensure seamless integration of design, manufacturability, and production execution, with a focus on structural integration and final vehicle assembly.

About You:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline. 
  •  8+ years of experience in manufacturing or related industries, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role overseeing complex production operations, preferably in aerospace, automotive, or other high-precision industries, with experience in vehicle assembly and integration. 
  • Demonstrated success in building and scaling manufacturing teams, production lines, and systems to support high-rate production while maintaining flexibility for rapid iteration. Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment 
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, including structural integration, assembly, automation, supply chain integration, quality systems, and lean manufacturing principles. 
  • Experience driving full accountability for manufacturing—from process development and production execution to quality, cost, and delivery performance. 
  • Ability to work effectively with engineering, supply chain, quality, and leadership teams to align manufacturing with business objectives. 

Nice to haves but not required:  

  • Extensive background in manufacturing complex aerospace vehicles (e.g., primary structure assemblies, vehicle integration systems, critical flight hardware), with a proven track record of scaling production in fast-paced, high-growth environments while maintaining quality and reliability throughout the vehicle production process. 
  • Hands-on experience implementing cutting-edge manufacturing technologies—such as additive manufacturing, high-precision machining, and advanced automation—to drive efficiency, scalability, and rapid iteration in production.  
  • Strong knowledge of aerospace manufacturing standards (AS9100, NADCAP) with experience leading teams through rigorous quality, certification, and compliance processes while ensuring operational excellence. 

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:

$209,000 - $268,000 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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