Sr. Operations Engineer
Relativity Space
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 Factory Test team designs, builds, and operates the infrastructure needed to test nearly every part of Terran R right here at our headquarters in Long Beach, CA. This centralized approach provides engineers and technicians with exposure to the entire product lifecycle across a wide range of part sizes and complexities. The scope and scale are significant, with test stands capable of handling millions of pounds of force. Team members lead multiple projects in parallel, avoiding silos and gaining broad technical experience without needing a background in aerospace. With high-impact campaigns ahead, including thrust structure and stage 2 testing, now is the time to join. You won’t just execute, but you’ll help shape and scale the test infrastructure required to meet the demands of a rapidly growing launch program.
About the Role:
- Write test plans, procedures, and work instructions for a variety of test campaigns, from primary structure qualification to fluid component acceptance tests
- Collaborate with design engineers to address safety, operability, and maintainability concerns early in development
- Lead Test Readiness Reviews and set the culture of the control room to ensure smooth execution
- Develop and implement automated test procedures to improve efficiency and reliability
- Operate and support test stands under manual and automated control, troubleshooting unexpected conditions using engineering principles
- Support post-test analysis, retrospectives, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operations and test reliability
About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or related field
- 5+ years of experience operating complex equipment and/or planning complex operations
- Proven ability to identify and mitigate safety concerns related to test operations
- Demonstrated success in high-stress environments where time is of the essence
- Strong first principles understanding of electrical and fluid systems
Nice to haves but not required:
- Experience with aerospace or rocket testing is helpful but not required
- Should measure project timelines in days to weeks rather that months to years
- Familiarity with cryogenic systems, high-pressure fluid operations, static structural testing, and/or mechanisms testing
- Experience in operations, testing, or manufacturing, preferably in high-stakes environments
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.
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.