COPV Engineer II

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Parental leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking an engineer for their COPV team to develop critical high-pressure gas storage vessels for the Terran R vehicle. The role involves collaboration across teams, focusing on design, production, testing, and integration of innovative pressure vessel solutions.

The ideal candidate will hold an undergraduate engineering degree and possess over 2 years of technical experience in pressure vessel engineering and fluid systems. Competitive salary and equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package, are offered.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant technical experience.
• Experience applying knowledge of fluid and mechanical system design and operation.
• Ability to address complex engineering challenges.

Responsibilities

• Develop architecture for gas storage on a reusable rocket.
• Collaborate with third-party vendors for design and analysis of COPVs.
• Establish test campaigns for COPV qualification and acceptance.

Skills

Pressure vessel engineering fundamentals

Fluid and mechanical system design

Collaboration across disciplines

Education

Undergraduate degree in engineering or a technical discipline

Tools

CAD

FEA

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 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:

The COPV team is responsible for delivering the critical high‑pressure gas storage vessels for Terran R. These pressure vessels store a variety of gases across a wide range of pressures and temperatures, making them some of the most demanding hardware on the vehicle.

These are not simple off‑the‑shelf components. The team works closely with partners across the company and throughout the supply chain to ensure performance can be achieved safely, reliably, and at scale. COPVs are notoriously difficult engineering problems, with design, manufacturing, and operational challenges that span multiple disciplines and require deep technical rigor and careful execution.

The product itself is deeply integrated with the rest of the vehicle, and the team maintains full ownership across design, production, test, and flight. You won’t simply execute predefined requirements; you’ll be expected to ask the right questions, collaborate across disciplines, and drive toward the best overall solution for Terran R.

You will be a part of developing the architecture for the Terran R vehicle and will be responsible for charting the company’s path for gas storage on a reusable rocket — both near‑term and long‑term.

Projects you could be working on:

• Partnering with third‑party vendors in the design and analysis of gas storage COPVs
• Working with other thermo‑fluid engineers on vehicle gas system design and operation
• Establishing test campaigns for the qualification and acceptance of COPVs, performing tests and reviewing data
• Supporting integration of COPVs on the rocket
• Supporting flight operations and reviewing flight data
• Performing tasks to select, develop, and qualify materials and process controls
• Selecting, vetting, and managing vendors
• Performing trade studies to improve gas storage solutions for the near future vehicles
• Assessing long‑term COPV design and manufacturing plans

About You:

• Undergraduate degree in engineering or a technical discipline
• 2+ years of relevant technical experience
• Understanding of pressure vessel engineering fundamentals
• Experience applying knowledge of fluid and mechanical system design and operation

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Experience working with COPVs or other composite structures
• Experience in a creative and fast‑paced development environment, working with autonomy
• Experience with CAD and FEA; experience with launch vehicle systems

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 and perks we offer, please visit here.

Hiring Range: $104,000 — $156,000 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].