Production Manager, Fluids Manufacturing

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity

Generous PTO & sick leave

Parental leave

Learning stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking a Production Lead for the Fluids Manufacturing team in Long Beach, CA. You will lead fabrication, welding, CNC, and testing to build Terran R fluid systems, ensuring safety, quality and on‑time delivery.

Required: 5+ years in technical/operations roles and 3+ years leading production teams; strong collaboration and communication; ability to influence across levels. Competitive pay, equity, PTO, parental leave, and learning stipend offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a technical or operations role.
• 3+ years leading a production/hardware team.
• Highly collaborative with strong communication across diverse groups.
• Ability to influence others inside and outside the organization.
• Relentless pursuit of safety, quality and schedule.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a diverse production team across fabrication, welding, CNC, pressure testing and cleaning.
• Navigate technical decisions to ensure reliability while meeting deadlines.
• Own staffing, equipment and capacity planning to scale production.
• Develop hiring plans with recruiting teams.
• Mentor production staff to continuously improve.

Skills

Production leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Safety culture

Negotiation

Tools

Smartsheets

SQL

Excel

PLM

ERP

MES

Job description

Long Beach, California, United States

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 Fluids Manufacturing team turns raw metals into intricate fluid subassemblies to distribute fuel, oxidizers, and compressed gasses throughout Terran R’s various systems. Engineers and technicians work side by side, with deep collaboration and real‑time feedback, to shape how we build better and faster. With growing space launch demand and an ambitious scaling strategy, it’s up to this team to deliver the right fluids products and manufacturing solutions: solving challenges in real time, optimizing for scale, and constantly improving processes. As the vehicle evolves, so will the factory, with opportunities to apply automation, machine learning, and advanced technologies. What we build here sets the blueprint for the future of scaled launch.

About the Role:

• Lead and manage a diverse and highly skilled production team across fabrication, welding, CNC operations, pressure testing, and precision cleaning to build the fluid systems for Terran R
• Navigate tough technical decisions to ensure product and process reliability while meeting tight delivery deadlines
• Own the staffing, equipment, and capacity planning to scale up the organization and meet Terran R’s aggressive production rate targets. Develop hiring plans alongside recruiting teams
• Build a culture of safety, quality, and operational excellence through hands‑on leadership and by setting up the systems and organization for long‑term success
• Develop and mentor production staff to continuously improve and excel in their specialty

About You:

• 5+ years of experience in a technical or operations role, preferably Aerospace, automotive or similar
• 3+ years of experience leading a production/hardware team
• Highly collaborative, strong communication skills, and ability to negotiate with people of diverse backgrounds (engineers, technicians, executives, etc.)
• High degree of self‑awareness and self‑starting abilities; able to influence others in and outside of your organization
• Relentless pursuit of production excellence – safety, quality, and schedule at forefront
• Comfortable with constructive conflict and difficult conversations for the betterment of the organization

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Previous experience leading leaders
• Knowledge of Smartsheets, SQL, and Excel
• Expert experience in PLM, ERP, and MES systems
• Direct experience in NPI-to-Production environments
• LEAN 6‑sigma credentials or demonstrated experience

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:

$141,600 - $212,400 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.

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”
The person hired will have access to information and items controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), and, therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by those regulations or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license. To assist Relativity in assessing its export compliance obligations in relation to your application, please identify which statement best applies to you:

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