Senior Propulsion Test Engineer, Combustion Devices

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.

About the Team:  

The Propulsion Engineering team at Relativity Space is responsible for engines that will power the Terran R launch vehicle. We own the design from concept through successful launch and reuse and we work with our partner teams to manufacture, test and integrate those engines. We’re developing these engines in record time, going from initial sizing point of the Aeon R engine in early 2022 to a successful integrated, full duration hot fire test in late 2023. Over the next year, we will test 3 iterations of Aeon R, our booster engine, culminating in qualification for flight, and test our first iteration or Aeon R Vac, our second stage engine. As a part of this team, you will help build, test and iterate on the full product lifecycle of our Aeon-R engine systems from concept through launch and reuse.

About the Role: 

This role may span several areas of our team depending on your skill-set and the team’s needs at the time. In the test part of your role, you will serve as a Responsible Engineer for a variety of propulsion test articles such as combustion devices, valves, heat exchangers, or other Aeon engine subsystems. Working closely with product owners, you will develop test plans and execute test campaigns with our Stennis team. You will own the exploratory operation of new and existing test article designs, diving deep into the evaluation of test hardware behavior in support of continuous engine development and certification. 

On the systems side, you may support engine subsystem troubleshooting, partner team product investigations, and more. As our vehicle development program progresses, you may have the opportunity to be involved in stage test and flight campaigns. You will also take ownership of projects of your creation to increase our collective efficiency.

In order to be successful in this role, you should be capable of leading collaborative projects to completion with minimal oversight. You should also be a self-starter who is always looking for ways to improve yourself & learn more about the systems that interface with yours. Along with these high expectations comes the opportunity to have a significant influence on a fast-growing startup company and to make rapid professional gains in an environment that encourages growth and risk.

This role requires an average of 25% travel to our test & launch sites.

This role may occasionally require weekend work for critical milestones.

About You:  

• Experience applying engineering fundamentals in fluid mechanics & thermodynamics
• Experience with test operations environments
• Experience with ownership, problem-solving skills, professional collaboration, and providing mentorship
• Experience delivering on ambitious schedules, especially if unconventional solutions are necessary to do so
• Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
• 5+ years relevant experience, preferably in a complex engineering system development and/or test environment
• Experience with at least one of the following:
  • Combustion Devices, Valves, Heat Exchangers, or Instrumentation

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.