Lead, Data & Control Systems Engineering

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 128,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Parental leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Competitive salary and equity

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA, seeks an experienced engineer to design and operate testing assets for the Terran R rocket. This role involves leading the DACS hardware group, fostering team growth, and ensuring effective deployment of control systems.

The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in electrical and software systems, along with a strong desire to mentor others. The position offers a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience developing, activating, and troubleshooting electrical and software systems.
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions and gain consensus with incomplete information and many stakeholders.
• Strong desire to mentor, teach, and support career growth of others.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate a diverse set of world‑class testing assets.
• Lead the DACS hardware group in development, deployment, and maintenance of data and control systems.
• Allocate resources, provide technical direction, and enforce best practices within your team.

Skills

Electrical systems troubleshooting

DC electronics knowledge

Data and control systems familiarity

Mentorship and leadership

Tools

SCADA

PLC's

NI

Beckhoff

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’ll not just execute tasks; you’ll solve 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 Factory Test team designs, builds, and operates the infrastructure needed to test nearly every part of Terran R right here at our headquarters in Long Beach, CA. This centralized approach provides engineers and technicians with exposure to the entire product lifecycle across a wide range of part sizes and complexities. The scope and scale are significant, with test stands capable of handling millions of pounds of force. Team members lead multiple projects in parallel, avoiding silos and gaining broad technical experience without needing a background in aerospace. With high‑impact campaigns ahead, now is the time to join. You won’t just execute, but you’ll help shape and scale the test infrastructure required to meet the demands of a rapidly growing launch program.

About The Role

• Design, build, and operate a diverse set of world‑class testing assets
• Foster the growth and development of high‑performance engineering teams, in partnership with the Factory Test leadership team
• Lead the DACS hardware group in the development, deployment, and maintenance of our data and control systems
• Be responsible for technical mentorship and talent development of your team. Your role will entail both deep technical and people leadership responsibilities
• Liaison and advocate with our various software and partner electrical teams
• Allocate resources, provide technical direction, and enforce best practices within your team

About You

• 5+ years of experience developing, activating, and troubleshooting electrical and software systems
• Fundamental understanding of low voltage, DC electronics
• Familiarity with data and control systems (SCADA, PLC’s, NI, Beckhoff, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions and gain consensus with incomplete information and many stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to identify and mitigate risks in complex systems. Strong desire to mentor, teach, and support career growth of others
• No previous aerospace experience is required

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Experience in a time‑critical operations environment
• Experience writing software in one or more systems programming languages
• Knowledge and experience of sensing systems for pressure, strain, force, temperature, and acceleration
• Experience with camera‑based sensing technologies (Digital Image Correlation, Motion Amplification, etc.)

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

$128,000—$176,000 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].