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 Data & AI Platform organization at Relativity Space is a critical pillar supporting our ambition to build autonomous rocket factories and launch platforms. Our mission is to develop and integrate data engineering, machine learning, and AI technologies that provide actionable insights, automate decision-making, and drive efficiencies across our operations. As the Director, you’ll shape the strategies and technologies that power these systems, enabling a future of smarter, faster, and more autonomous space missions. You will lead a cross-functional team focused on delivering high-performance data pipelines, building scalable AI models, and ensuring that AI-driven automation plays a central role in transforming operations from Earth to Mars.
About the Role:
As the Director of Data & AI Platform, you will be responsible for the strategic direction and technical leadership of our data and AI initiatives, which include:
- Data Engineering: Lead the design and implementation of scalable data architectures, including ETL pipelines, data modeling, data warehouse management, and reporting infrastructure, ensuring high-quality, actionable data across all systems.
- Data Platform: Oversee the development of a distributed data platform that supports mission-critical applications, enabling real-time data access, integration, and orchestration for test and launch and factory operations.
- Machine Learning & AI: Direct the design, development, and deployment of AI and machine learning models that leverage our data to drive automation, decision-making, and predictive analytics across the organization. Ensure these models are scalable, reliable, and maintain high data integrity.
- Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, mentor, and grow a team of data engineers, machine learning engineers, and platform developers. Create an environment that fosters innovation, continuous learning, and technical excellence while aligning team goals with company objectives.
- Collaboration & Strategy: Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to define the long-term strategy for data and AI initiatives, aligning the technical roadmap with company goals and scaling data infrastructure and ML capabilities as we expand our operations.
In this role, you will define the future of how Relativity Space uses data and AI to drive smarter, more efficient operations. Your expertise will directly impact the design and execution of our AI infrastructure, from real-time manufacturing optimization to predictive maintenance and autonomous rocket operations.
About You:
- Education: Degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, AI, or a related technical field.
- Experience: 10+ years of experience in data engineering, platform development, and machine learning, with at least 5 years in a leadership role, overseeing large-scale data systems and AI-driven initiatives.
- AI & Machine Learning Expertise: Extensive experience designing, building, and deploying AI models and machine learning systems, particularly in high-performance or mission-critical environments. Proficient in AI techniques including deep learning, reinforcement learning, and natural language processing.
- Foundational Machine Learning Knowledge: Deep understanding of core machine learning concepts and algorithms. Experience with advanced models such as Transformers/LLMs, LSTM models, time-series forecasting, and predictive analytics for real-time decision-making and automation. Familiarity with the mathematical underpinnings of machine learning models, including model evaluation and optimization techniques.
- AI Infrastructure Experience: Proven experience with building and scaling AI infrastructure, including deploying and managing machine learning models in production environments. Expertise with cloud-based AI services, distributed computing, and scaling AI models in cloud environments.
- Data Engineering: Proven experience in building scalable data architectures, including ETL pipelines, data modeling, and reporting systems.
- Expertise with modern data tools and technologies (e.g., Kafka, Spark, SQL, NoSQL, data lakes).
- Cloud & Platform Development: Deep understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, etc.), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and orchestration for building and deploying data and AI services.
- Leadership & Strategy: Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor teams, build a strong technical culture, and drive organizational change.
- Experience in developing strategic roadmaps and managing cross-functional collaborations to align on company-wide data and AI objectives.
Nice to haves but not required:
- Experience with AI applications in aerospace or manufacturing
Travel:
- Occasional visits to Stennis and Cape locations
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.
Top Skills
Relativity Space Long Beach, California, USA Office
We have two sites in Long Beach, CA's Space Beach: "The Wormhole," a 1M sq. ft. factory, once Boeing C-17's home. Nearby, "The Portal" supports Aeon R engine production for our Terran R launch vehicle.
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