Mechanical Design Engineer II, Tooling

Rocket Lab; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab is seeking a skilled tooling engineer to design and develop production tooling for innovative aerospace projects. In this role, you will collaborate with engineering teams and manage tooling projects to enhance manufacturing capabilities. This position requires a Bachelor's degree and significant experience in tooling design, making it ideal for those passionate about shaping the future of aerospace technology.

Benefits

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Parental leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in tooling design and project management.
• Ability to interpret ASME Y14.5 design standards.
• Full-cycle project completion experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality tooling for the Terran vehicle and Aeon engine programs.
• Collaborate with engineers to optimize production processes.
• Manage projects including vendor selection and equipment commissioning.

Skills

Mechanical design principles

Project management

Tooling development

Collaboration

Material handling knowledge

Education

Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software (NX, ANSYS Workbench)

FEA-based analysis software

Teamcenter PLM software

Job description

At Relativity Space, we have two audacious goals: to build the next great commercial launch company with Terran R and to become America's leading force in additive manufacturing innovation. Both contribute to our long-term vision of creating humanity’s industrial base on Mars, paving the way for interplanetary life to expand the possibilities of the human experience. This journey begins right here on Earth – where we design, build, and fly rockets to deliver customer payloads to orbit. Terran R, our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, fulfills the growing demand for launch capacity, thanks to our iterative approach that accelerates design, testing, and development while minimizing costs. While our groundbreaking research and development in 3D printing pushes the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing.

Your journey with us is more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to shape the future of aerospace technology, additive manufacturing, and the human experience alongside a community of passionate, creative individuals. Join us on this extraordinary journey, as we work together to transform our vision into reality.

About the Team:

The Manufacturing team owns all process development, fabrication strategy, and production equipment for Terran R, our next generation, reusable rocket. This team has a wide variety of responsibilities – from factory floor layout, to developing complex tooling for novel processes, and interfacing with our vehicle engineering team to heavily influence design of the rocket. We leverage our deep expertise to translate engineering requirements into highly optimized production lines, working cross functionally to consistently enhance the vehicle program.

About the Role:

• Develop high quality development and production tooling for the Terran vehicle and Aeon engine programs
• Capable of integrating concepts and principles of mechanical design and analysis of several different projects in a fast-paced environment - projects will vary in size and scale
• Ability to interpret and apply sound design and drafting standards (ASME Y14.5) in creating tooling drawing definitions
• Handle a wide range of technical problems and familiar with all types of material handling, assembly fixtures, off-loaders, rotisseries, test fixtures, structural weldments, environmental chambers, and custom machines
• Close collaboration with component designers, manufacturing engineers, and integration engineering to achieve the best possible cradle to grave metrics (safety, cost, quality, cycle time, delivery, reliability, life, and maintenance/refurbishment)
• Manage projects including vendor selection, fabrication, inspection, equipment installation, and commissioning of tooling

About You:

• Bachelor of Science degree in manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering or equivalent
• 3+ years of work or project experience with design, build, and commissioning of tooling and fixtures for manufacturing, assembly and test
• Experience using CAD and FEA-based analysis software (NX and ANSYS Workbench preferred) for structural applications
• Experience in full-cycle project completion
• Experience in strategic buildout and project management of tooling supporting production

Nice to haves but not required:

• Experience with structural analysis including the ability to perform hand calculations
• Strong expertise in design for manufacturability and design for assembly including experience taking products from prototype design to production
• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter PLM software
• Experience with ANSYS Workbench, FEMAP Pre/Post processing, NASTRAN Solver, NX Advance Simulation, Mechanica, etc.

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:

$112,000—$143,000 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.