Composites Technician II, Drilling & Mechanical Assembly, First Shift

Socket.dev; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 37,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space is hiring for a first shift composites drilling and mechanical assembly role in Long Beach, CA. You will work on drilling holes and assembling hardware for aerospace components, with focus on safety and quality.

This position reports to the Manufacturing team and offers opportunities to contribute across production lines. The ideal candidate has 2+ years of experience with composite drilling and assembly, strong communication, and the ability to operate calibrated tools and

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent and 2+ years of composites drilling and mechanical assembly experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineering and production teams.
• Ability to use forklifts or cranes for lifts of flight hardware and tooling.
• Ability to set up calibrated tools such as torque wrenches and precision measuring equipment.

Responsibilities

• Drill precision holes in composite and metallic components using appropriate tooling.
• Assemble hardware with structural adhesives, properly torquing fasteners and inserts.
• Hand trim composites hardware using cutoff wheels, routers, and jigs/tools.
• Uphold Relativity Space safety and shop cleanliness standards.
• Foster an inclusive environment for all team members.

Skills

Composites drilling

Mechanical assembly

Communication skills

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Forklifts

Calipers

Micrometers

Job description

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 Manufacturing team owns all process development, fabrication strategy, and production equipment for Terran R, our next generation, reusable rocket. This team has a wide variety of responsibilities – from factory floor layout, to developing complex tooling for novel processes, and interfacing with our vehicle engineering team to heavily influence design of the rocket. We leverage our deep expertise to translate engineering requirements into highly optimized production lines, working cross functionally to consistently enhance the vehicle program.

This is a 1st shift position with a standard schedule of 5:00AM-3:30PM PT, Monday through Friday. Please note that this position is structured around a baseline expectation of a 50-hour workweek, which may include occasional overtime as needed to meet operational goals.

About the Role:

• Responsible for drilling precision holes in composite and metallic components, including use of the appropriate drill motors and drill sizes, using appropriate tooling/jigs or egg cups and drill bars
• Responsible for assembling hardware using structural adhesives, properly torquing fasteners, installing inserts, or installing rivets
• Responsible for hand trimming composites hardware using cutoff wheels, routers, and appropriate jigs/tools
• Uphold high Relativity Space standards regarding safety and shop cleanliness
• Foster an inclusive environment for all team members

About You:

• High school diploma or equivalent 2+ years of composites precision drilling and mechanical assembly experience in aerospace or similar industries
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Ability to effectively communicate (verbal and written) with engineering and production
• Ability to use forklifts or cranes to perform critical lifts of flight hardware and tooling/GSE
• Ability to set up and operate calibrated tools such as torque wrenches, and precision measuring equipment such as micrometers, calipers, height gauges and pin gauges

Nice to haves but not required:

• FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Certificate
• Experience using Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
• Experience partnering with other business functions to successfully build flight hardware such as manufacturing engineering and quality

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!

Hiring Range: $27.20—$40.80 USD

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 [e-mail].