Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Integration & Test
Relativity Space · Long Beach, United States · 6mo ago
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 Stage Manufacturing team turns design into reality, owning the build of Terran R’s primary structures. This isn’t about turning the same bolt every day; it’s about building the systems to build the rocket. Engineers and technicians work side by side, with deep collaboration and real-time feedback, to shape how we build better and faster. With a manifest and a launch date, it’s up to the team to deliver on Terran R: solving challenges in real time, optimizing for scale, and constantly improving processes. As the vehicle evolves, so will the factory, with opportunities to apply automation, machine learning, and advanced technologies. What we build here sets the blueprint for the future of scaled launch.
About the Role:
- Own hardware from design release through build, test, and delivery for engine or vehicle systems, taking full responsibility for execution readiness and product quality across subassemblies and integrated systems
- Develop and release detailed build flows, work instructions, and test procedures to enable repeatable, high-quality execution across first builds and maturing programs
- Support first article builds in a fast-paced environment, focusing on manufacturability, repeatability, and quality, while developing scalable processes that enable a smooth ramp to higher production rates
- Provide hands-on floor support during build and test, resolving issues in real time, incorporating technician feedback, and driving continuous improvement across hardware flow and process discipline
- Coordinate across design, supply chain, production, and test teams to ensure part readiness, tooling availability, schedule alignment, and smooth handoffs between build stages
- Contribute to the development of long-term manufacturing systems and infrastructure, including tooling strategies, ERP/MES workflows, and production documentation standards
About You:
- Degree in engineering or a related technical field, with 6+ years of hands-on experience building and testing hardware in a manufacturing or integration environment
- Skilled at investigating hardware issues, resolving non-conformances, and driving root cause analysis with corrective actions implemented effectively
- Familiar with general assembly and test procedures, including tolerance stack-up analysis, structural proof testing, and pressurized leak checks
- Comfortable interfacing across design, manufacturing, supply chain, and test teams to ensure hardware quality and schedule alignment
- Self-starter who can define and roll out new processes from scratch, working collaboratively with technicians, engineers, and external vendors
- Proficient in GD&T, CAD, and basic design or test analysis, with experience in at least two of the following: LOX cleanliness, leak checking, sensor checkouts, tube bending, tool design, crane operations, or subassembly builds
Nice to haves but not required:
- Experience supporting new aerospace product introduction or transitioning hardware from prototype to production, especially in a high-rate or scaling environment
- Experience directly authoring and executing test procedures, including acting as a test conductor for integrated system verification
- Familiarity with hazardous operations, fluid system safety, or test execution involving pressurized or high-risk environments
- Experience in a fast-paced and lean environment, including direct vendor engagement, tool development, or leading a small team through an ambiguous build or test effort
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.
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.
Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.