Manufacturing Engineer I, Stage Machining

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer I for Stage Machining. You will share ownership of operations on our large 3-axis and 5-axis mills and help introduce new products to these machines while improving high-volume work across the systems.

You will collaborate with design, manufacturing, and reliability teams, create work instructions and best practices, and provide upstream feedback as Terran R advances from prototype to flight build.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, aeronautical, mechanical engineering or related field.
• 1+ years progressive and related experience, including internship.
• 3D & 2D design/drafting per ASME Y14.5M (NX preferred).
• Experience with CNC milling and turning operations; G-code knowledge.
• Strong fundamentals in statics, materials mechanics and process improvement.

Responsibilities

• Share ownership of operations on large 3-axis and 5-axis mills and VTL.
• Help introduce new products to these machines and improve high-volume work.
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, reliability teams and vendors.
• Create work instructions, specifications, and best practices.
• Support shop floor with live issue resolution and feedback for new tech.

Skills

CNC Milling

G-code programming

Machining processes

Design for manufacturability

NX CAD

Education

Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, aeronautical, mechanical engineering

Tools

NX

Job description

Manufacturing Engineer I, Stage Machining

Long Beach, California, United States

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 Stage Manufacturing team turns design into reality, owning the build of Terran R’s primary structures. This isn’t about turning the same bolt every day; it’s about building the systems to build the rocket. Engineers and technicians work side by side, with deep collaboration and real-time feedback, to shape how we build better and faster. With a manifest and a launch date, it’s up to the team to deliver on Terran R: solving challenges in real time, optimizing for scale, and constantly improving processes. As the vehicle evolves, so will the factory, with opportunities to apply automation, machine learning, and advanced technologies. What we build here sets the blueprint for the future of scaled launch.

About the Role:

• Share ownership of operations on our 2 large 3-axis mills (20’x8’), 2 large 5-axis mills (20’x8’) and VTL (20’ diameter)
• Help introduce new products to these machines as well as improve current high-volume work across the 2 large 3-axis mills (20’x8’) and 2 large 5-axis mills (20’x8’)
• Collaborate closely with a diverse team of engineers specializing in design, manufacturing, and reliability, as well as internal production teams and external vendors, leveraging their collective expertise to drive progress
• Create work instructions, specifications, and best practices across multiple high-fidelity processes. Help standardize processes across the manufacturing team
• Help establish new machining work centers by championing the tooling and process definition needed to build parts for Terran R
• Support the shop floor through live issue resolution and provide upstream feedback as we innovate the next generation of manufacturing technology
• Provide Design for Manufacturing feedback to structures teams during the development phase and through the first prototype and flight build

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, aeronautical, mechanical engineering, or other engineering discipline
• 1+ years progressive and related experience required, including internship experience
• 3D & 2D design/drafting skills per ASME Y14.5M (NX preferred)
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with engineering and manufacturing groups to understand process constraints and provide design inputs for improved manufacturability
• Direct experience with CNC milling and turning operations across multiple materials
• Understanding of machine programming (G-code) and machine set-up
• Strong engineering fundamentals in statics, mechanics of materials, process improvement/factory design, fastening and joining, machining

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Extensive experience with CNC milling, turning, and drilling operations across multiple materials
• Aluminum experience and large parts >6’ is preferred
• Extensive experience with designing work holding for complicated machining operations
• New product introduction of an aerospace hardware system into a manufacturing, test, and production system with proven success
• Experience in managing projects in a fast-paced environment

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.

Hiring Range:

$90,000 - $136,000 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.

As set forth in Relativity Space’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.