Materials Characterization Specialist II, SEM

Relativity Space, Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 53,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

PTO and sick leave

Parental leave

Learning stipend

Career development

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA is seeking an SEM/EDX technician to join the Materials and NDE team. You will support the Terran R program by conducting SEM imaging, fractography, and material characterization alongside engineers, ensuring data quality and timely delivery.

Ideal candidates have 4+ years of hands-on SEM/EDX experience, strong documentation habits, and the ability to explain findings clearly. This on-site role offers competitive pay, equity, and a comprehensive rewards package.

Qualifications

• 4+ years hands-on SEM and EDX/EDS; SEM as the primary focus.
• Comfortable running the SEM with an engineer beside you and explaining what you see.
• Experience maintaining a high-vacuum instrument.
• Thorough documentation of images, parameters, and conditions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct SEM imaging and EDX analysis of additively manufactured metallics and rocket hardware.
• Perform SEM fractography and FOD/contamination analysis.
• Work side by side with engineers at the SEM to guide sessions.
• Document results and perform routine calibration checks and troubleshooting.

Skills

SEM & EDX analysis

High-vacuum operation

Documentation

Team collaboration

Education

AS/AA/BS in STEM

Tools

SEM instrument

EDX/EDS

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 Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly, re-fly, and scale: developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites, the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution, balancing performance and reliability with cost, quality, and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond, the challenges become more exciting, offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re-use. With ownership across products, systems, and disciplines, the team gains broad exposure and drives key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations.

About the Role:

• Conduct SEM imaging and EDX analysis of additively manufactured metallics, metal joining, and other rocket manufacturing and launch hardware
• Conduct SEM fractography of mechanical test specimens; FOD and contamination analysis
• Work side by side with engineers at the SEM, guiding the session to what they need
• Conduct SEM powder morphology for additive powder qualification; SEM sample prep
• Manage SEM requests against commit dates
• Document results; routine calibration checks and first-line troubleshooting

About You:

• AS/AA/BS in a STEM field
• 4+ years hands-on SEM and EDX/EDS; SEM as the primary focus
• Comfortable running the SEM with an engineer beside you and explaining what you see
• Experience maintaining a high-vacuum instrument
• Thorough documentation of images, parameters, and conditions

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Experience running EBSD scans and processing EBSD data
• Prior fractography and FOD analysis experience; familiarity with aerospace alloys — high-strength aluminum, nickel, copper, titanium
• Experience with metallographic preparation — cut, mount, polish, etch, optical microscopy
• Additive manufacturing and metal joining exposure — powder bed fusion, welding, powder characterization

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:
$38.40 — $57.60 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] .

Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.