Company Overview:

Relativity is the first and only company to automate aerospace manufacturing by integrating intelligent robotics, software, and proprietary metal 3D printing technology. Disrupting 60 years of aerospace, Relativity offers a radically simplified supply chain, building a rocket with 100x fewer parts in less than 60 days. Our long-term goal is to upgrade humanity’s industrial base on Earth and on Mars.  

Team:

The Vehicle Engineering department is responsible for ensuring that Relativity’s rockets will achieve our objectives. Our department comprises teams responsible for Flight Sciences, including Aerodynamics, Thermal Sciences, Loads, and Dynamics; Vehicle Simulation & Performance; Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC); and Systems Engineering. Our teams architect and execute analysis, simulation, and test projects for all of Relativity’s hardware and software teams in pursuit of mission success.

What you’ll do:

As Senior Manager of Aerothermal Engineering, you will drive the technical direction of Relativity’s products across the domains of Aerodynamics, Aerothermodynamics, and Thermal Sciences. You will play a key role in shaping Relativity’s vehicle products and advanced technical analyses, including Terran R vehicle re-entry, re-usability, and supporting simulation tools and methods. In short, you’ll lead our talented and growing Aero and Thermal teams across multiple vehicle programs, leveraging a high degree of technical authority.

You will collaborate with our design, propulsion, GNC, and dynamics teams to deliver aerodynamics and thermal design, test, and analysis projects on time, while meeting our technical requirements. A high degree of autonomy along with an ability to prioritize work in our fast-paced environment is required. Additionally, you will help build an outstanding vehicle engineering organization at the cutting edge of commercial aerospace.

Here are some examples of projects you could be working on:

• Establish and execute roadmaps for Aerodynamics and Thermal Sciences in collaboration with Relativity’s engineering leadership team to achieve our strategic objectives
• Leverage simulation, testing, and and analysis to drive the design and development of major Terran 1 and Terran R system elements to meet criteria for aerodynamic and thermal performance and reliability
• Serve as company technical authority for Aero and Thermal, with ownership of relevant requirements, criteria and verification activities; customer and range certification; and methodology, tool sets, and workflows
• Hire, train, guide, and mentor Aero and Thermal engineers to be product-focused, creative, collaborative, and technically rigorous
• Define and lead campaigns for aero surface development, database generation, thermal protection system (TPS) definition, and thermal environments definition, including custom and commercial tool selection and implementation, workflow automation, methodology development, and data and results processing and communication
• Direct consultants and contractors in supporting analysis, test, and modeling activities

In order to be successful in this role, you should be self-motivated, adaptable and able to contribute significantly to a fast-paced, integrated vehicle program. You should also be able to resolve ambiguity, drive projects to completion, and build trust in and around your teams. Ideally, you have significant entry vehicle aerodynamics and thermal experience as well as a proven track record of leading projects successfully in a highly collaborative environment.

On a weekly basis, you will be architecting and driving technical projects, reviewing and sometimes performing analysis, and guiding and mentoring your team members. You will also use your strong organizational skills to properly manage the documentation and communication of your team’s actions, recommendations, and decisions.

What you need to know:

• A graduate degree in engineering or related field and 10+ years relevant experience
• Industry-leading expertise in hypersonic vehicle aerodynamics and compressible flow
• 3+ years experience in managing and leading aero teams, including hiring and performance management
• Experience as a technical owner from concept through flight on at least one entry vehicle program, including ownership of aerodynamics databases and wind tunnel campaigns
• Experience solving complex problems on integrated vehicles
• Experience structuring, negotiating, executing, and delivering complex analyses and tests for analysis & hardware customers

Nice to haves but not required:

• 15+ years relevant experience across 3 or more program lifecycles
• Experience in diverse technical leadership roles, e.g. Aero and Thermal
• Experience managing and developing simulation toolsets and workflows

Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous vacation policy, an annual L&D stipend and more! 

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.