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 Vehicle Software team develops the safety-critical software that runs on Terran R. The work spans a distributed, real-time control system operating under extreme conditions like Mach 5 atmospheric flight, with a deployment pace that allows you to see your code run on rocket engines daily. The team is building new system architecture from the ground up and just as importantly, testing, releasing, and deploying it. You don’t need an aerospace background: what matters is experience with high-reliability software for complex systems. This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundation of Terran R’s software stack while directly influencing performance, reliability, and flight success.
About the Role:
- Lead the design, development, and maintenance of mission-critical, Linux-based software infrastructure for command, telemetry, simulation, and test automation systems
- Build and evolve tools and systems that support test execution across multiple environments including virtualized hardware, HIL/SIL setups, and integrated vehicle-in-the-loop testing
- Drive system performance, reliability, and observability, with an emphasis on optimizing Linux environments for real-time, high-throughput data processing
- Guide technical direction and execution, including architectural decisions, sprint planning, roadmap ownership, and balancing near-term goals with long-term scalability
- Collaborate across engineering functions (e.g. avionics, ground software, flight software) to align on deliverables, integration points, and operational readiness
- Grow and support the team, including mentoring engineers, setting high standards for engineering excellence, and leading hiring efforts to scale a high-performing team
About You:
- 3+ years of professional experience in software engineering, including systems or infrastructure-level development on Linux
- 1-2+ years of technical leadership experience (e.g., Tech Lead, Engineering Manager) with team execution responsibilities
- Demonstrated ability to lead architecture and delivery of real-time or performance-critical software systems
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD practices, testing strategies, and high-reliability software development
- Strong collaboration skills across hardware, embedded software, and systems engineering teams
- Proficiency in atleast one of Rust, Python, C++
Nice to haves but not required:
- Experience leading teams delivering mission-critical systems in aerospace, robotics, automotive, or similar domains
- Proven ability to scale engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and conducting performance reviews
- Deep experience debugging complex system issues and driving root cause analysis in test or production environments
- Familiarity with systems assurance concepts such as redundancy, fault tolerance, or formal verification
- Experience with real-time simulation or HIL/SIL test infrastructure integrated into CI/CD pipelines
- Track record of making technical decisions aligned with system safety and reliability goals
- Exposure to flight readiness, verification, or regulatory processes in tightly controlled engineering environments
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.
Similar Jobs at Relativity Space
What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene
Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
- Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering
