Materials Engineer Intern

RippleMatch Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 44,000; Part time

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking students and recent graduates to join the Materials & NDE team working on Terran R. You will help design, characterize, and validate materials and processes across additive manufacturing and conventional methods, gaining hands-on exposure from welding to metrology.

As part of a cross-disciplinary team, you will perform hands-on characterization, support new methods development, and collaborate with engineering and operations to move parts from concept to flight-ready

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in Materials Science & Engineering or similar.
• Prior experience demonstrating technical understanding and problem-solving capability.
• Self-starter with the ability to wear multiple hats, solve problems, and develop technical skills beyond just materials engineering.

Responsibilities

• Conduct hands-on materials characterization projects to understand and improve characterization methods.
• Perform a wide range of characterization techniques (mechanical testing, metallography, SEM/EDS, thermal analysis, chemical analysis).
• Assist in development and validation of new characterization methods for Terran R and R&D.
• Collaborate across engineering and technician teams to complete projects and communicate results.

Skills

Self-starter

Problem-solving

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Materials Science

Job description

At Relativity Space,we'rebuilding 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. Butthat'sjust 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, engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations.

Materials & Process

• Help build Relativity's next generation, fully reusable rocket: Terran-R

• Design, develop, and optimize the materials used in Relativity's various additive manufacturing systems (L-PBF, WAAM, DED, CSAM, etc.) and conventional materials and processes

• Develop new additive manufacturing technologies and engineer their impact on material microstructure and properties

• Build tools and systems to facilitate and optimize materials and processes engineering activities

About You

• Finishing your degree in an Engineering or Scientific discipline with an emphasis on Materials Science and Engineering

• Prior experience that demonstrates deep technical understanding and problem-solving capability

• Self-starter with the ability to wear multiple hats, solve problems, and develop technical skills beyond just materials engineering

Materials Characterization

• Conduct hands-on materials characterization projects to better understand and improve Relativity's characterization methods and materials

• Perform and learn a wide range of characterization techniques across the MET Lab including mechanical testing, metallography, SEM/EDS, thermal analysis, chemical analysis, etc.

• Assist in development and validation of new characterization methods to support Terran R and R&D across the company

• Collaborate across engineering and technician teams to complete projects and communicate results

About You

• Pursuing a degree in Materials Science & Engineering or similar

• Prior experience demonstrating technical understanding and problem-solving capability

• Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple projects, communicate effectively, and connect individual work to an overall team objective

Non-Destructive Evaluation

• Contribute to materials characterization projects to better understand and improve upon Relativity’s AM processes

• Quantify materials and NDE properties of new additive manufacturing technologies and inform the impact of material microstructure on properties

• Support production of additive hardware and assess whether existing materials/ NDE work necessitates a process change

• Help build Relativity’s next generation, fully reusable rocket, Terran-R

About You

• Finishing your degree in an Engineering or Scientific discipline, with exposure to the fundamentals of Materials Science and/or Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE)

• Experience with materials characterization, including metallography, electron microscopy, mechanical testing, optical microscopy, non-destructive evaluation, etc.

• Experience with data science and computational materials approaches, especially applied to materials data management and design of materials

• Self-starter with the ability to wear multiple hats, solve problems, and develop technical skills utilizing a hands-on approach

Nice to Haves but Not Required

• Familiarity with aerospace alloy systems, including aluminum, nickel, HSLA steels, titanium, etc.

• Familiarity with additive manufacturing technologies, specifically metal AM technologies including WAAM, DED, L-PBF, etc.

• Familiarity with common metals processing techniques, including forming, casting, welding, heat treating, coating, amongst others

• Experience with materials characterization, including metallography, electron microscopy, mechanical testing, optical microscopy, non-destructive evaluation, etc.

• Hands-on experience with welding or NDE

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.