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Staff Launch Mechanical Engineer

Verified
Relativity Space
Posted 1 weeks ago
Posted 23 April 2026
2 views
full-time

About the Role

<div class="content-intro"><p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At Relativity Space, we’re building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Our&nbsp;Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launch&nbsp;capacity. But that’s just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock new&nbsp;opportunities to advance science, exploration, and innovation, pioneering progress that reaches beyond&nbsp;the known.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">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 </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">technical rigor go hand in hand, and your voice will help define the stories we’re writing together. Now&nbsp;is a unique moment in time where it’s early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and&nbsp;the culture, but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The most&nbsp;meaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.</span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">About the Team:</span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">About the Role:</span></strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Essential Duties and Responsibilities:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Create preliminary concepts and conduct design and manufacturability reviews to guide engineering teams toward practical, buildable solutions.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Coordinate across vehicle, launch, manufacturing, test, and ground systems teams to resolve technical issues and keep work aligned with schedule and operational needs.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Define manufacturing, integration, and test strategies, partnering closely with technicians and operations teams to support successful build and launch execution.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Lead troubleshooting and root cause investigations during hardware installation, integration, and launch preparation, making timely technical decisions in a fast-paced environment.&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">About You:</span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">10+ years of engineering experience in mechanical, structural, manufacturing, launch, test, or ground support systems.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience serving as a technical lead, systems architect, or integration lead for complex engineering programs.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strong ability to define requirements, understand concept of operations, and guide cross-functional teams through design and integration challenges.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience leading design reviews, manufacturability reviews, and technical decision-making across multiple engineering disciplines.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">Nice to haves but not required:</span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience supporting launch site operations, hardware integration, refurbishment, or test activities in an aerospace environment.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Familiarity with structural, fluid, or ground support systems, including high-pressure gas, cryogenic, hydraulic, or launch interface hardware.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience with NASA, Department of Defense, Space Force, or other aerospace industry standards.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">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.</span></strong></span></p><div class=&quo

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