Staff Propulsion Engineer

Company Overview:  

At Relativity Space, we have two audacious goals: to build the next great commercial launch company with Terran R and to become America's leading force in additive manufacturing innovation. Both contribute to our long-term vision of creating humanity’s industrial base on Mars, paving the way for interplanetary life to expand the possibilities of the human experience. This journey begins right here on Earth – where we design, build, and fly rockets to deliver customer payloads to orbit. Terran R, our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, fulfills the growing demand for launch capacity, thanks to our iterative approach that accelerates design, testing, and development while minimizing costs. While our groundbreaking research and development in 3D printing pushes the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing.

Your journey with us is more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to shape the future of aerospace technology, additive manufacturing, and the human experience alongside a community of passionate, creative individuals. Join us on this extraordinary journey, as we work together to transform our vision into reality.

Team:  

This role falls within the Propulsion Integrated Design team, which is part of the Propulsion Engineering organization. Our focus is Relativity’s Aeon-R engine. The Integrated Design team is specifically responsible for overall engine layout/packaging, as well as the design/analysis of integration components. Examples of integration components include manifolds, ducts, primary structure, secondary structure, bellows, gimbal, fluids lines, and many more ancillary components. Because this team owns the engine layout, we also own the major interfaces and collaborate heavily with the Stage, Test Stand, Integration, and Systems teams as a result. Ultimately, we are responsible for turning the 2D engine schematic into a 3D reality.

What you’ll do: 

You will be responsible for the overall layout, design, analysis, and build of hardware for our Aeon-R propulsion systems. You will work closely with other propulsion teams, the vehicle team, manufacturing/integration teams, and test teams to design, analyze, and optimize. Designs will be informed by both fluid and structural analytical and computational models. Engine assembly level layouts and trades will be weighed against weight, cost, lead time, and part count. To be successful in this role, you should be someone who thrives in ambiguity and is able to lead their own projects to completion.

What you need to know:  

• Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
• 8+ years of relevant experience, preferably with a complex engineering system
• Extensive experience with computer aided design (CAD) software
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals
• Strong understanding of fluid, thermal, and structural fundamentals
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Strong drive to deliver on ambitious schedules
• Detail-oriented, organized, exhibiting follow through

Nice to haves but not required:  

• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter, specifically
• Experience with large CAD model management, change management, and configuration management
• Experience in the design of liquid propulsion components and systems
• Familiarity with aerospace standards (AS, NAS, SAE, etc.)
• We believe varied perspectives & backgrounds strengthen our team. Prior experience in aerospace is not required

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.