Senior Propulsion Test Responsible Engineer
Required skills
- Propulsion
- Terran R
- Engine Systems
- Test Team
- hotfire testing
- test plans
- test campaigns
- test sequences
- data review
- test hardware
Nice to have
- test operations environments
- combustion devices
- valves
- heat exchangers
- instrumentation
- writing code
Role summary
Relativity Space is seeking a Senior Propulsion Test Responsible Engineer for their Engine Systems & Test Team in Long Beach, CA. This role involves serving as a Responsible Engineer for propulsion test articles, developing and executing test plans, troubleshooting technical issues, and evaluating test hardware behavior to support continuous engine development. Responsibilities include writing test sequences, reviewing data, hands-on work with test articles, and systems engineering tasks such as subsystem troubleshooting and engine system analysis. The position requires 5+ years of experience in complex engineering system development/test, a Bachelor's degree in STEM, and a strong foundation in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. Experience with specific components like combustion devices, valves, heat exchangers, or instrumentation is preferred. The role is onsite with 25% travel and may involve shifted schedules.
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:
This role is on the Engine Systems & Test Team. Our work spans simulation & software tools; system-level architecture, requirements, and interfaces; component & integrated system hotfire testing; and more. We collaborate closely with component engineers, our manufacturing team, our Stennis test team, and our Cape launch team to deliver engines that will successfully propel the Terran rocket to orbit. We strive for continuous improvement and support the development of our technical hardware and human teammates alike.
We are hiring for the integrated engine test team (which tests the full engine assembly). Your work may span several different areas depending on your skillset and the team’s needs at the time.
In order to be successful in this role, you should be a self-starter who is capable of leading collaborative projects to completion. You should be always looking for ways to improve yourself & learn more about the systems that interface with yours – who will leverage the training & mentorship we provide to grow as an engineer and an individual. 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.
Work schedule & travel:
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.
Hiring Range:$132,000—$198,000 USDWe 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.
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.
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