Staff Launch Mechanical 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.

About the Team:

The Launch team operates at the intersection of every major aspect of Terran R, from stages and payloads to ground systems, launch, landing, and refurbishment. The Cape is the only place where you see it all come together, offering a level of exposure and responsibility unmatched elsewhere in the program. This is where first flights happen, where history is built on top of history, and where the scale of what's underway is unlike anything in modern aerospace. The mission stays the same, but the work evolves with every milestone: from first launch tor use, high-cadence operations, and beyond. If you're looking to define what's next in space launch and write anew playbook, not just repeat what's already been done, this is where it happens. 

About the Role:

As a Staff Launch Mechanical Engineer, you will serve as the technical lead and systems architect for launch and ground support hardware supporting Terran R operations. This role is focused on defining system architecture, evaluating design requests, ensuring requirements are met, understanding operational concepts, and resolving complex integration challenges before they impact hardware, schedule, or launch readiness. You will work across vehicle, launch, manufacturing, test, and ground systems teams to translate high-level mission and operational needs into practical, manufacturable concepts. Rather than owning every detailed design activity directly, you will guide technical direction, perform design and manufacturability reviews, create preliminary concepts, and help teams make sound engineering decisions. This role also includes significant involvement in build, integration, and launch execution. You will work closely with engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams to resolve issues in real time, coordinate integration activities, and lead the technical response to unexpected challenges during hardware installation, testing, and launch preparation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead system architecture and technical direction for launch and ground support hardware, ensuring requirements, interfaces, safety, and concept of operations are fully understood before design begins.
• Create preliminary concepts and conduct design and manufacturability reviews to guide engineering teams toward practical, buildable solutions.
• Coordinate across vehicle, launch, manufacturing, test, and ground systems teams to resolve technical issues and keep work aligned with schedule and operational needs.
• Define manufacturing, integration, and test strategies, partnering closely with technicians and operations teams to support successful build and launch execution.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause investigations during hardware installation, integration, and launch preparation, making timely technical decisions in a fast-paced environment. 

About You:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of engineering experience in mechanical, structural, manufacturing, launch, test, or ground support systems.
• Experience serving as a technical lead, systems architect, or integration lead for complex engineering programs.
• Strong ability to define requirements, understand concept of operations, and guide cross-functional teams through design and integration challenges.
• Experience leading design reviews, manufacturability reviews, and technical decision-making across multiple engineering disciplines.

Nice to haves but not required:

• Experience supporting launch site operations, hardware integration, refurbishment, or test activities in an aerospace environment.
• Familiarity with structural, fluid, or ground support systems, including high-pressure gas, cryogenic, hydraulic, or launch interface hardware.
• Experience with NASA, Department of Defense, Space Force, or other aerospace industry standards.

Successful candidates must clear a background check administered by the US government to obtain clearance for on-site work at our government partner location in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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.

Hiring Range:

$150,000—$207,000 USD

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 accommodations@relativityspace.com.