Materials & Processes Engineer I

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

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Generous PTO and sick leave

Parental leave

Learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA is hiring a Materials & Process Engineer to own reusable Terran-R materials and engineering standards across design, manufacturing, and operations.

You will qualify materials for flight and reuse, develop specifications, drive experimental design, and collaborate across teams to push Terran R toward first flight and beyond, with impact on cost, quality, and schedule.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering (or related field).
• 1+ years of materials engineering experience; level flexible.
• Experience with material selection, qualification, damage tolerance, inspections, risk assessments, and failure analysis.
• Strong commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution.
• Ability to foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company.

Responsibilities

• Be the M&P owner of reusable Terran-R products, engineering disciplines, and materials.
• Qualify materials and products for flight + reuse.
• Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards.
• Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns.
• Interface with materials engineering staff, laboratory staff, design engineers, manufacturing engineers, QA, and leadership.

Skills

Materials engineering

Collaboration

Execution

Problem solving

Interdisciplinary relations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering

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 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.

About the Role:

• Be the M&P owner of reusable Terran-R products, engineering disciplines, and materials
• Qualify materials and products for flight + reuse
• Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards
• Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns
• Interface with:
• Materials engineering staff to identify, define, and fill critical materials &technology gaps
• Laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes
• Design Engineers for product materials selection, allowables development, analysis, qualification, flight, failure analysis, and reuse
• Manufacturing Engineers to reduce cost + rate while maintaining needed performance for products
• Quality assurance to facilitate specification compliance validation
• Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse
• Company Leadership to elevate risks and power through roadblocks

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, or related field
• 1+ years of relevant materials engineering experience
• Leveling is flexible and will be adjusted for candidates with more experience
• Experience with general M&P activities, such as material selection, qualification, damage tolerance, inspections, risk assessments, and failure analysis
• A core commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution
• A desire to establish and foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company
• An authentic, introspective, and inclusive mindset towards technical, interpersonal, team growth, and development
• Passion to work in a fast-paced and challenging environment on constantly iterating Terran-R products + processes, driving big impact on critical program needs as we ramp manufacturing rate + achieve reuse

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Demonstrated ownership, impact, and detail-oriented work with aerospace products and their materials and processes
• Experience with M&P activities such as material selection, qualification, damage tolerance, corrosion, hardware inspections, risk assessments, non-destructive evaluation, fracture control, and failure analysis
• Knowledge through hands-on experience of metallic special processes such as additive manufacturing, casting, forging, rolling, extrusions heat treating, welding, coatings, passivation, and refurbishment
• Knowledge through hands-on experience with aerospace metallics (aluminum, steel, nickel, and titanium alloys) and non-metallics (structural composites, adhesives, sealants, TPS, coatings)
• Experience with statistical experimental design and data analysis

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: $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.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail].