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 Nonmetallic Manufacturing team is responsible for working alongside the vehicle design and production teams to develop hardware that can survive all phases of flight including ascent, re-entry, landing, and reuse. The team is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to own the following scope: advocate for scalable manufacturing in the design of composite assemblies, partner with vendors to mature processes from development through flight part production, large-scale part logistics, identifying tooling needs and guiding tooling designs, fast-paced issue dispositions, and assembly work planning and execution.
About the Role:
- Own the manufacture of composite assemblies for Terran R from design release through successful installation onto the launch vehicle —partner with design engineering and critical suppliers to develop a manufacturable product, capable of scaling production rate with time
- Collaborate with supply chain to strategically source suppliers of aerospace-grade composite structures, implement Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) to ensure products meet specification and design requirements
- Drive development of internal processes for composite manufacturing, including trimming, drilling, surface preparation, adhesive bonding, mechanical assembly, grounding and repair to ensure consistent quality and compliance with design requirements and industry best practices
- Establish the company’s inaugural composites work cell by considering assembly operations, rate targets, tooling and capital equipment requirements
- Support the shop floor and production personnel through responsive issue resolution and guide technicians through manufacturing processes
- Develop strong working relationships with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and external partners to ensure all company objectives can be met
About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical, mechanical engineering, or other engineering discipline with 3+ years progressive and related work experience with composites materials and assemblies in a manufacturing environment
- Extensive experience authoring work instructions and/or test procedures for the manufacture of composite structures
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with engineering and manufacturing groups to understand process constraints and provide design inputs for improved manufacturability
- Strong working experience with at least 2 of the following processes: composites manufacturing, autoclave or OOA processing, Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), adhesive bonding, trim and drill operations, machining, mechanical fastening and torquing operations, critical lifting, tool design and fabrication, work center development
- Highly self-motivated and able to work effectively and autonomously in a high-pressure environment on multiple projects simultaneously
Nice to haves but not required:
- New product introduction of an aerospace hardware product or process with proven success
- Experience partnering without external vendors to manufacture and deliver aerospace hardware on an established production schedule
- Working knowledge of typical manufacturing execution systems and quality management systems
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 [email protected].
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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