Lead Propulsion Design Engineer Long Beach, California

Relativity; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 136,000 - 204,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

PTO & Sick Leave

Parental leave

Learning stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach seeks a propulsion design lead to own the integration hardware design, engine layout, and packaging for Aeon‑R. You will manage a small team, mentor engineers, and coordinate with Propulsion Engineering and external partners to deliver changes on schedule.

You should have 5+ years in fluid or structural design, CAD/FEA experience (Ansys/Abaqus/Nastran), and a proven ability to collaborate across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, technology, or mathematics.
• 5+ years of experience with fluid design and/or structural design.
• Experience in mentoring and demonstrated leadership skills.
• Experience with computer aided design software.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and tools such as Ansys, Abaqus, or Nastran.
• Experience applying fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanical design fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team responsible for the design and analysis of integration hardware and engine layout.
• Manage a small team, mentorship, project priorities, and communication with leadership.
• Collaborate with Propulsion Engineering (Combustion Devices, Turbomachinery, Components) and external Propulsion teams.
• Use CFD/FEA models and 3D printing to reduce cost, weight, and part count.

Skills

Fluid systems design

Structural design

Mentoring & leadership

Computer aided design (CAD) software

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, technology, or mathematics

Tools

Ansys

Abaqus

Nastran

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

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. This is just the beginning—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 a culture 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.

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. 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

You will lead a team responsible for the design and analysis of integration hardware, as well as overall engine layout and packaging. This role requires managing a small team, strong mentorship, project management, establishing priorities, communicating with leadership, providing technical guidance, and recruiting. Close collaboration with stakeholders within Propulsion Engineering (Combustion Devices, Turbomachinery, and Components) and external to Propulsion Engineering (Stage, Test Stand, and Integration) is essential. Designs and packaging trades will be informed by both fluid and structural analytical and computational models. You will strategically leverage 3D printing, as well as traditional manufacturing methods, to dramatically reduce the cost, weight, and part count of Aeon‑R. To be successful, you should thrive in ambiguity and know how to lead (and guide) projects to completion.

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
• 5+ years of experience with fluid systems design and/or structural design
• Experience in mentoring and demonstrated leadership skills
• Experience with computer aided design software
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and commercial tools such as Ansys, Abaqus, or Nastran
• Experience applying fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanical design fundamentals

Nice to haves, but not required

• Experience in leading teams
• Experience in the design of liquid propulsion components and systems
• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter, specifically
• Experience with large CAD model management, change management, and configuration management
• Familiarity with aerospace standards (AS, NAS, SAE, etc.)

Compensation and Benefits

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. We offer competitive salary and equity, generous PTO and sick leave, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more.

Hiring Range: $136,000 - $204,000 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.