Lead, Avionics Survivability Engineer New Long Beach, California, United States

Relativity Space, Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

PTO & sick leave

Parental leave

Learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking a Lead Avionics Survivability Engineer to head the survivability team for Terran R's electrical systems, spanning EMC, radiation effects, and EEE reliability across components and full-vehicle integration.

You will drive analysis, test planning, qualification campaigns, and verification, coordinating with avionics, propulsion, structures, GNC, and flight software to ensure robust design and risk mitigation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Physics or Electrical Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• 7+ years of survivability engineering for harsh environments and mission-critical applications.
• Technical background in EMC/EMI, radiation effects, or EEE component reliability.
• Knowledge of space environment and related effects (radiation belts, SEP, GCR).
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and coordinating across disciplines.
• Experience driving survivability requirements, risk assessments, and mitigation.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-464, NASA EEE-INST-002, ECSS or equivalent.
• Experience planning and overseeing EMC, radiation testing, and qualification programs.
• Strong communication skills to influence design decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the survivability team ensuring Terran R electrical systems withstand launch and spaceflight environments.
• Oversee EMC, radiation effects, and EEE component reliability across vehicle levels.
• Drive analysis, test planning, qualification campaigns, and verification activities.
• Coordinate with avionics, propulsion, structures, GNC, flight software, and external stakeholders.

Skills

Survivability engineering

Cross-functional leadership

EMC/EMI

Radiation effects

EEE reliability

Test planning

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Physics or Electrical Engineering

Job description

At Relativity Space, we're building rockets to serve today's needs and tomorrow's breakthroughs. OurTerran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launchcapacity. But that's just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock newopportunities to advance science, exploration, and innovation, pioneering progress that reaches beyondthe 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. Nowis a unique moment in time where it's early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, andthe culture, but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The mostmeaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.

About the Team:

The Avionics team is responsible for the full lifecycle of Terran R's nervous system, designing, building, testing, installing, and operating the hardware that connects and controls every major electrical system on the vehicle and ground. The team leverages close partnership between avionics design, manufacturing, and test to enable rapid iteration and feedback loops. Engineers are deeply embedded into other functions within Relativity, working closely with propulsion, GNC, fluids, and stage engineering teams to ensure seamless integration and operation. Now is a unique time to join: you'll get to help shape Terran R's fundamental avionics architecture and be given a high degree of ownership on components that will fly.

About the Role:

As the Lead Avionics Survivability Engineer, you will lead the survivability team responsible for ensuring Terran R's electrical and electronic systems can withstand the harsh environments of launch and spaceflight. Your team will oversee electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), radiation effects, and EEE (Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical) component reliability across the entire vehicle—from individual avionics components to vehicle-level system integration. You will drive analysis, test planning, qualification campaigns, and verification activities to ensure compliance with mission requirements and industry standards. This is a highly cross-functional role requiring coordination across avionics, propulsion, structures, GNC, flight software, and external stakeholders to establish survivability requirements, assess risks, and implement mitigation strategies. A strong candidate for this role will combine deep technical expertise in EMC, radiation effects, or physics with proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, manage complex test programs, and influence design decisions across the entire vehicle architecture.

About You:

• Bachelor's degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred
• 7+ years of experience in survivability engineering for harsh environments and mission-critical applications (including, but not limited to, launch vehicles, spacecraft, aircraft, or defense systems)
• Technical background in at least two of the following domains: EMC/EMI, radiation effects (TID, SEE, displacement damage), or EEE component reliability and parts engineering
• Working knowledge of the space environment and related effects including radiation belts, solar particle events, galactic cosmic rays, vacuum, thermal extremes, and electromagnetic environments
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and coordinating technical efforts across multiple engineering disciplines and internal customers
• Experience driving survivability requirements definition, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies from early design through qualification and flight
• Experience with industry standards such as MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-464, NASA EEE-INST-002, ECSS standards, or equivalent
• Experience planning and overseeing complex test programs including EMC testing, radiation testing, and component qualification
• Strong communication skills with ability to influence design decisions and advocate for survivability considerations across the organization

Nice to haves but not required:

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field with focus on electromagnetics, radiation physics, or materials science
• Hands-on experience with EMC test facilities, radiation test facilities (proton/heavy ion accelerators), or environmental test chambers
• Familiarity with electromagnetic simulation tools (CST, FEKO, HFSS)
• Experience with parts selection, derating, and reliability prediction methodologies (FMECA, Reliability Block Diagrams, Physics of Failure)
• Knowledge of single event effects (SEE) mitigation techniques including EDAC, triple modular redundancy, and radiation-hardened design
• Experience with destructive physical analysis (DPA) and failure analysis of electronic components
• Familiarity with launch vehicle or spacecraft-specific standards and requirements (SMC-S-016, SSCMAN 91-710, RCC319-19, NASA-STD-8739.10)
• Experience establishing test facilities, laboratories, or qualification infrastructure

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:

$151,000 - $227,000 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.