🚀 Sr. Operations Engineer

Overview

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. Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. You’ll solve problems that haven’t been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up.

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 to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, with Terran R tangible and gaining 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 Terran R components at our headquarters in Long Beach, CA. This centralized approach provides engineers and technicians exposure to the entire product lifecycle across a wide range of part sizes and complexities. The scope includes test stands capable of handling millions of pounds of force. Team members lead multiple projects in parallel, gaining broad technical experience. With high-impact campaigns ahead (e.g., thrust structure and stage 2 testing), you won’t just execute—you’ll help shape and scale the test infrastructure to meet the demands of a rapidly growing program.

About the Role

• Write test plans, procedures, and work instructions for 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 Have (not required)

• Experience with aerospace or rocket testing is helpful but not required.
• Ability to measure project timelines in days to weeks rather than 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.

Compensation & Benefits

We are committed to transparency and fairness in compensation. Actual compensation is determined based on experience and qualifications. Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more. For details on benefits, please visit our site.

Hiring Range: $133,000 – $170,500 USD

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.