Loads and Dynamics Engineer II

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 103,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, California, is seeking engineers for the Integrated Performance team to mature hardware designs and drive decisions through analysis and cross‑functional collaboration on the Terran R program. You will work across trajectory design, structures, and test to ensure robust performance and timely delivery.

The role emphasizes dynamic loads analysis, random vibration, and data‑driven validation, with autonomy to solve hard problems.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree with emphasis on mechanics and vibrations.
• Graduate coursework preferred.
• Experience with FE modeling for dynamic response analysis.
• Experience with testing, instrumentation, and data analysis.
• Fluency in Python, MATLAB, or similar programming languages for engineering analysis.
• Familiarity with statistics and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Drive maturation of hardware designs and ops decisions through analysis, understanding of vehicle and program needs, and proactive communication across teams.
• Develop Dynamic loads, levels, and criteria from initial concept through data review for vehicle and supporting hardware for Terran R.
• Inform primary structure design and customer load inputs through Coupled Loads Analysis.
• Develop and validate random vibration and shock specifications and ensuring hardware across the vehicle is qualified to those specifications.
• Build, validate, and document analytical models to generate component load predictions.

Skills

Finite Element Analysis

Python

MATLAB

Dynamics

Data Analysis

Statistics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

VA One

LS-DYNA

Wave6

FEM Software

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 Integrated Performance team owns the holistic view of how Terran R comes together, ensuring that every system on the vehicle and ground is capable of achieving our ambitious objectives. The team works across the full launch system, from trajectory design and aerodynamics to reliability analysis and beyond, with direct influence on all parts of the product lifecycle, from conceptual design to post-flight data review. Beyond analysis, team members engage hands‑on with hardware and operations, with the mission and authority to drive meaningful programmatic change. With a unique organizational structure, the integrated performance team spans multiple technical domains and embeds directly with partner teams to solve the hardest multi‑disciplinary problems. The team operates with a rare scale: large enough to support complex development, yet small enough that individual contributors have meaningful impact.

The Loads & Dynamics team works collaboratively with adjacent Flight Sciences teams including Dynamic Environments and Aerodynamics and across the Structures, Mechanisms, Fluids, GNCP, Launch and Test teams to develop robust vehicle, ground system, and component architectures, generate associated loads, maintain and improve related analysis tools, provide design and test guidance, and contribute to performance trades on time and budget while meeting our technical requirements. A high degree of autonomy along with an ability to prioritize work in our fast‑paced environment is required.

About The Role

• Drive maturation of hardware designs and ops decisions through analysis, understanding of vehicle and program needs, and proactive communication across teams
• Develop Dynamic loads, levels, and criteria from initial concept through data review for vehicle and supporting hardware for Terran R
• Inform primary structure design and customer load inputs through Coupled Loads Analysis
• Develop and validate random vibration and shock specifications and ensuring hardware across the vehicle is qualified to those specifications
• Build, validate, and document analytical models to generate component load predictions

About You

• Undergraduate degree with emphasis on mechanics and vibrations. Graduate coursework preferred.
• Experience with Finite Element and/or other modeling approaches for dynamic response analysis
• Experience with relevant testing, instrumentation, and data analysis
• Fluency in Python, MATLAB, or similar programming languages for engineering analysis
• Familiarity with statistics and data analysis

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Graduate degree in engineering or related field
• High-speed or modal data acquisition & signal processing experience
• Experience with NASTRAN, VA One, Wave6, LS-DYNA, or other domain‑specific analysis tools
• Experience with coupled loads analysis (CLA) or multibody dynamics (MBD)
• Experience with liquid rocket engines, launch vehicle analysis, or similar in aerospace

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

$103,000—$155,000 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].