Relativity Space
Engine Systems & Test Team- Staff Combustion Device Test Engineer
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 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:
This role is on the Component Test Team, within the Engine Systems & Test team. Our work spans simulation & software tools; system-level architecture, requirements, and interfaces; component & integrated system hotfire testing; and more. We collaborate closely with component engineers, our manufacturing team, our Stennis test team, and our Cape launch team to deliver engines that will successfully propel the Terran rocket to orbit. We strive for continuous improvement and support the development of our technical hardware and human teammates alike.
This role may span several areas of our team depending on your skillset and the team’s needs at the time.
- In the test part of your role, you will serve as a Responsible Engineer for propulsion test articles.
- You will develop test plans in collaboration with product owners, and you will execute test campaigns with our Stennis team, troubleshooting technical puzzles along the way.
- You will own the exploratory operation of new and existing test article designs, diving deep into the evaluation of test hardware behavior in support of continuous engine development and certification.
- This role is extremely varied day-to-day and, in addition to overall campaign ownership, can include writing test sequences, reviewing data, hands-on work with test articles, writing code, sitting console for hotfire tests, designing tooling, and more.
- Most test roles also involve systems work – on this side of your role, you may support engine subsystem troubleshooting, partner team product investigations, engine or component analysis and simulation, trade studies, and more.
- As our vehicle development program progresses, you may have the opportunity to be involved in stage test and flight campaigns.
- You will also take ownership of projects of your creation to increase our collective efficiency.
- As a staff engineer, you should have enthusiasm for mentorship & will be expected to have high impact on the team around you.
In order to be successful in this role, you should be capable of leading collaborative projects to completion with minimal oversight. You should also be a self-starter who is always looking for ways to improve yourself & learn more about the systems that interface with yours. 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.
Work schedule & travel:
- This role is full-time onsite in Long Beach, CA, and requires an average of 25% travel to our test & launch sites.
- We are open to candidates who would prefer to be located full-time onsite at Stennis in Mississippi with 25% travel to Long Beach & the launch site.
- This role may occasionally require weekend work for critical milestones.
About you:
- Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
- 8+ years relevant experience in a complex engineering system development and/or test environment
- Experience with:
- Applying engineering fundamentals in fluid mechanics & thermodynamics
- Problem-solving
- Working in a collaborative environment
- Exposure to test operations environments
- Experience designing, analyzing, testing, or developing at least one of the following: combustion devices, valves, heat exchangers, or instrumentation
Nice to haves, but not required:
- We believe varied perspectives & backgrounds strengthen our team. Prior experience in aerospace is not required
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:
$176,000—$225,500 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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