Lead, Supplier Development Engineering

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Annual learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking an experienced Supplier Development Engineer in Long Beach, California, to lead the execution of supplier performance strategies for the Terran R vehicle. You will ensure compliance with AS9100/ISO 9001 standards and work across teams to resolve manufacturing issues. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering and 8+ years of experience in supplier development within a high-reliability industry. The role offers a competitive salary range of $128,000 to $176,000 USD and various benefits, including equity and generous PTO.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Supplier Development, ideally within aerospace or safety-critical industry.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programs without direct authority.
• Strong technical knowledge of manufacturing processes for space hardware.

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of supplier development strategy and ensure compliance.
• Resolve manufacturing and quality issues with suppliers.
• Manage supplier corrective actions and compliance verification.

Skills

Supplier Development

Manufacturing Engineering

Cross-functional Leadership

Quality Systems

Technical Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

APQP

PPAP

FAIRs

Job description

Overview

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.

About The Team

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 Role

Responsibilities:

• Lead the execution of supplier development strategy, ensuring supplier performance aligns with Terran R production, launch, and compliance requirements (AS9100/ISO 9001)
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for assigned suppliers, resolving manufacturing and quality issues to protect production schedules and build cadence
• Drive supplier performance management by establishing and tracking key metrics and scorecards, including PPM, yield, and PPAP timing, to improve overall supplier capability
• Lead NPI efforts by selecting manufacturing methods, evaluating suppliers, and developing scalable production processes in partnership with Engineering and Supply Chain, including DFM reviews, PPAP/FAIR approvals, and APQP execution
• Manage supplier corrective actions, root cause investigations (e.g., 8D), and compliance verification against AS9100, ISO 9001, and NASA quality standards to drive sustained improvements across the supply base
• Own supplier risk escalation and resolution, applying disciplined problem-solving to ensure rapid recovery on quality or capacity issues
• Provide technical direction and day-to-day guidance to other engineers, aligning priorities and deliverables

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, or a related technical field)
• 8+ years of experience in Supplier Development, Supplier Quality, or Manufacturing Engineering, ideally within aerospace or a high-reliability/safety-critical industry
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programs end-to-end, coordinating across Engineering, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain without direct authority over all contributors
• Strong technical knowledge of manufacturing processes for space- or safety-critical hardware, including forming, machining, and assembly of metals such as stainless and carbon steels
• Expert working knowledge of quality systems (AS9100/ISO 9001) and core quality tools (APQP, PPAP, FAIRs, PFMEA, Control Plans), with hands-on experience driving implementation and compliance
• Demonstrated ability to define processes from the ground up and deploy them across diverse teams
• Willingness to travel up to 50% of the work week when needed

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Master's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, or a related technical field)
• Professional certification such as Six Sigma Black Belt, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), or PMP
• Familiarity with high-volume inspection methods and data-driven acceptance criteria
• Experience with enterprise applications (PLM, ERP, MES) and proficiency in data analysis
• Comfortable operating in high ambiguity, setting direction where precedent or data is incomplete

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

$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].