Manager, Software Engineering

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 179,000 - 269,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space is building a next-generation rocket factory to automate design, simulation, and launch workflows. As Engineering Manager on the Factory Platform team, you will lead a squad delivering mission-critical tooling for design and simulation engineers, transforming test data into actionable insights and accelerating iteration.

You'll work with propulsion, structures, avionics, and test engineers to remove bottlenecks, drive architectural decisions, and cultivate a culture of ownership

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in CS or related engineering field.
• 5+ years of software engineering experience across multiple production systems.
• Proven track record hiring, retaining, and developing engineers.
• Expert in React and modern frontend tooling.
• Fluent in at least one backend language (Go, Python) and willing to range across the stack.
• Comfortable driving architectural decisions and building buy-in across engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication - you can write a crisp design doc and also give useful, timely feedback to a struggling engineer.

Responsibilities

• Hire, grow, and manage a team of 5-10 engineers (1:1s, performance reviews, career development)
• Set team roadmap and priorities in partnership with design and test engineering stakeholders
• Guide architectural decisions and keep your team unblocked
• Build a high-performing culture of ownership and continuous improvement
• Ship code as much as possible, time permitting

Skills

Software engineering

React

Go/Python

Cloud architectures

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or higher in CS or related engineering field

Tools

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

Terraform

Helm

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 Terrestrial Software team is building the foundation for an automated rocket factory and integrated launch platform. Their mission is to automate and streamline workflows across the entire lifecycle of Terran R, from raw material intake to launch operations and eventually manufacturing on Mars. Today, that means partnering directly with teams across design, materials, manufacturing, and test and launch to design, implement, and deploy end user enterprise-wide applications, industrial automation, data analytics infrastructure, and next-generation AI to solve real problems and accelerate progress. Long term, the team is laying the groundwork for a modular, scalable software platform that can power highly autonomous operations on Earth and beyond. This is a team for builders and thinkers who thrive on cross-functional impact and want to shape the digital backbone of our future in space.

About the Role:

As an Engineering Manager on the Factory Platform team, you'll lead a squad building mission-critical tooling for design and simulation engineers who are optimizing the performance of Terran R. Your team will deliver the engineering analysis platform, design tools, and data pipelines that transform test stand telemetry and simulation results into actionable insights. You'll work directly with propulsion, structures, avionics, and test engineers to understand their workflows, remove bottlenecks, and build software that accelerates their ability to iterate, validate, and improve the vehicle with rigor and speed.

• Hire, grow, and manage a team of 5-10 engineers (1:1s, performance reviews, career development)
• Set team roadmap and priorities in partnership with design and test engineering stakeholders
• Guide architectural decisions and keep your team unblocked
• Build a high-performing culture of ownership and continuous improvement
• Ship code as much as possible, time permitting

Technologies we use:

• Python, React, Typescript, Go
• AWS, GCP, Kubernetes (both cloud and on-prem), Terraform, Helm

About You:

• Bachelor's or higher in CS or a related engineering field
• 5+ years of software engineering experience across multiple production systems
• Proven track record hiring, retaining, and developing engineers
• Expert in React and modern frontend tooling
• Fluent in at least one backend language (Go, Python) and willing to range across the stack
• Comfortable driving architectural decisions and building buy-in across engineering and non-engineering stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication - you can write a crisp design doc and also give useful, timely feedback to a struggling engineer

Nice to haves but not required:

• Bachelor's or higher in CS or related engineering field
• 3+ years engineering management experience with direct reports (5-10+ team size)
• 7+ years prior software engineering experience
• Strong hiring, retention, and talent development track record
• Full-stack technical foundation (frontend and backend)
• Excellent communication: technical tradeoffs, strategy docs, feedback, influence

Nice to haves:

• Experience managing managers or multiple teams
• Background in engineering analysis tools, scientific computing, or data-intensive applications
• Familiarity with simulation, CAD/CAE, or test data systems
• Aerospace, automotive, or hardware-driven industry experience
• DevOps, MLOps, or data platform engineering background

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:

$179,000 - $269,000 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.