Senior Propulsion Design Engineer

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.

• Lead CAD release and configuration control for production engine assemblies, ensuring accurate eBOM structures and smooth downstream integration
• Own engine layout and packaging trades, including definition of Keep-in-Zone (KiZ) and Keep-out-Zone (KoZ) boundaries
• Design and analyze Integrated Design hardware (fluid manifolds, tubing, ducting, secondary structures) and execute rapid design tweaks to support engine testing
• Drive cross-functional alignment as point of contact for Vehicle, Avionics, Manufacturing, Integration, and Test teams
• Define engine assembly tolerances/requirements as defined on Interface Control Diagrams (ICDs.) - Establish and standardize best practices across the Propulsion organization for things like fittings, bolts, seals, etc.
• Champion the change management process and help continuously improve it. - Own tracking of key engine metrics, like mass and part count
• Partner with the Integration/Manufacturing team by reviewing and continuously improving Process Plans, Work Orders, and Non-Conformances
• Strive to set downstream stakeholders up for success by enabling increased engine build rates and quality. Provide floor support at times to resolve build issues

About You:

• 5+ years of professional design experience
• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field
• Demonstrated project/technical leadership skills
• Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals in structures, fluids, thermal, and mechanisms
• CAD skills (any platform) and ability to make high quality engineering drawings that meet industry standards and leverage GD&T as needed
• Experience with large CAD model management, change management, and configuration management
• Experience owning ambiguous layout and packaging trades. Demonstrated ability navigating conflicting stakeholder requirements and finding the best path forward
• Experience designing Integrated Design hardware (manifolds, secondary structure, tubing, etc.)
• Systems thinker. Demonstrated ability to zoom out and view the engine’s design holistically. Desire to do what is best for the engine as a whole, rather than a specific component
• Ability to understand the work of other teams and assess how that work will impact the engine as a whole/impact other teams or components. Proactively communicates these assessments as needed
• Attention to detail, thorough, exhibits strong follow-through. Understands the critical importance of a flawless eBOM that sets downstream stakeholders up for success
• Great Integration/Manufacturing partner. Experience with any Manufacturing Execution System (MES.) Addresses DFA/DFM feedback in a timely fashion to set production up for success

• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter, specifically
• Experience in the design of liquid propulsion components and systems
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and commercial tools such as Ansys, Abaqus, or Nastran
• Familiarity with aerospace standards (AS, NAS, SAE, etc.)
• Experience with creating release, mass, and part count reports. Ability to communicate this information to leadership and stakeholders in a clear and concise manner
• Familiarity with Qualification and Acceptance test requirements for flight hardware

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].