Lead – Propulsion Analysis Engineer
Relativity Space
Lead – Propulsion Analysis Engineer
Relativity Space
Develops 3D-printed reusable rockets for launches
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 Propulsion team at Relativity is focused on developing and delivering highly performant and manufacturable engines for Terran R. Engineers are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their parts, from initial design through production to qualification and flight. The team fosters a culture of bottoms-up decision-making, free from technical gatekeeping, where ownership and accountability are key at all levels. But designing engines with a quarter million pounds of thrust is just the beginning. As the flight configuration enters qualification, the team is now exploring modifications for future engines, including thrust upgrades, new cycles, and design for mass production.
About the Role
You will lead a team of analysts that is responsible for the analysis of integrated design hardware, which consists of things like the Aeon R engine's gimbal, bellows, flex hoses, propellant ducts, manifolds, primary structure, secondary structure, tubing, etc. Additionally, your team will own generating interface loads via engine assembly FEA models that drive the sizing of hardware across the entire engine. You will also be a key voice in conversations pertaining to best practices for analysis approaches, acceptable design factors, material allowables, etc. This role will require managing a small team, requiring strong mentorship, project management, establishing priorities, communicating with leadership, providing technical guidance, and recruiting. Close collaboration with stakeholders within Propulsion Engineering (Combustion Devices, Turbomachinery, and Components) and external to Propulsion Engineering (Materials, Design Criteria) is essential. To be successful in this role, you should be someone who thrives in ambiguity and knows how to lead (and guide) projects to completion.
You and your team will be:
About You
Nice to haves, but not required:
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 [email protected].
Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.
Hiring Range: 136000 - 204000 USD
Develops 3D-printed reusable rockets for launches
Relativity Space designs and launches rockets that are largely built with 3D-printed parts. Its core product line includes the Terran R, a medium-to-heavy lift rocket designed to be reusable and capable of delivering payloads to LEO and GTO. The company works by using advanced additive manufacturing to print most rocket structures and components in-house, reducing parts, complexity, and production time, and then offers launch services to customers who want to put satellites or other payloads into space. Unlike many peers, Relativity Space relies on a predominantly 3D-printed, vertically integrated approach with its own proprietary designs and manufacturing processes, aiming to streamline production and cut costs. The goal is to make access to space cheaper and more reliable by building a scalable, in-house manufacturing platform and a reusable rocket fleet that can deploy payloads on demand.
Explore more opportunities at Relativity Space