Principal Industrial Engineer, Factory Systems Engineering

Relativity; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 196,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company at the forefront of aerospace innovation, where your expertise will shape the future of manufacturing. This role offers the chance to drive improvements in production processes, ensuring that we meet the growing demands of high-rate vehicle production. As part of a passionate team, you will leverage your extensive experience in manufacturing and industrial engineering to implement cutting-edge technologies and optimize workflows. Embrace the opportunity to work in a dynamic environment that values creativity and collaboration, while contributing to groundbreaking projects that aim to redefine the aerospace industry.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Equity options

Generous PTO and sick leave

Parental leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Qualifications

• 10+ years in manufacturing, with 2 years in a senior leadership role.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and lean principles.

Responsibilities

• Identify operational issues and develop solutions to enhance productivity.
• Collaborate with teams to ensure efficient production execution.

Skills

Manufacturing Process Improvement

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Statistical Data Analysis

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering

Tools

Automation Technologies

Additive Manufacturing

High-Precision Machining

Job description

Long Beach, California

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.

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:

• Identify and analyze operational issues and develop innovative solutions to improve productivity, capacity, safety and quality across all aspects of the manufacturing value stream map.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain company-wide initiatives and training programs around core industrial engineering fundamentals such as continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, value stream maps, Kaizen, and 5S.
• Develop and execute long-term strategies for manufacturing scalability, leveraging automation and process optimization to meet increasing demands for high-rate vehicle production.
• Drive rapid iteration on new production processes, balancing speed with manufacturing rigor to enable the efficient development and deployment of new aerospace products, including stage assembly and integration.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality teams to ensure seamless integration of feedback, manufacturability, and production execution, with a focus on balancing efficiency with program state throughout the entire lifecycle of the vehicle; Be a champion of early adoption of these principles in our product lifecycle.

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or related industries, with at least 2 years in senior technical leadership role overseeing complex manufacturing system operations, preferably in aerospace, automotive, or other high-precision or high-production rate industries.
• Demonstrated experience within the field of industrial engineering improving manufacturing workflows leading to real-world improvements.
• Ability to extract and evaluate varying levels of statistical manufacturing data, driving insights into action.
• Demonstrated success building relationships with manufacturing teams, production lines, and systems to support high-rate production while maintaining flexibility for rapid iteration. Able to work well in an integrated collaborative team environment.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, including structural integration, assembly, automation, supply chain integration, quality systems, and lean manufacturing principles.

Nice to haves but not required:

• Extensive background in manufacturing complex aerospace vehicles (e.g., primary structure assemblies, vehicle integration systems, critical flight hardware), with a proven track record of scaling production in fast-paced, high-growth environments while maintaining quality and reliability throughout the vehicle production process.
• Hands-on experience implementing cutting-edge manufacturing technologies—such as additive manufacturing, high-precision machining, and advanced physical and digital automation—to drive efficiency, scalability, and rapid iteration in production.
• Strong knowledge of aerospace manufacturing standards (AS9100, NADCAP).

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!

Hiring Range:

$196,000 - $253,000 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.

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