Propulsion Responsible Engineer II, Combustion Devices

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 104,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO and sick leave

Equity

Learning & development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA seeks a Responsible Engineer to own combustion hardware from design through manufacturing, testing, qualification, and flight. This role requires cradle-to-grave ownership and close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to ensure robust hardware decisions.

You will apply thermodynamics and propulsion fundamentals in a high-paced rocket development environment, delivering tangible impact and owning critical components across the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field.
• 2+ years of experience in propulsion/combustion hardware development.
• Experience applying engineering fundamentals in thermodynamics, thermal, structural, and fluids.

Responsibilities

• Own combustion hardware from design through manufacturing, testing, qualification, and flight.
• Coordinate across disciplines and ensure hardware decisions with direct accountability for hardware.
• Provide cradle-to-grave ownership of the assigned component throughout the product lifecycle.

Skills

Propulsion components

Thermodynamics

Structural analysis

Fluids

Education

Bachelor's degree in science/engineering

Job description

At Relativity Space, we’re building 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. But that’s just 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 Propulsion team at Relativity is focused on developing and delivering highly performant and manufacturable engines for Terran R. Engineers are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their parts, from initial design through production to qualification and flight. The team fosters a culture of bottoms-up decision-making, free from technical gatekeeping, where ownership and accountability are key at all levels. But designing engines with a quarter million pounds of thrust is just the beginning. As the flight configuration enters qualification, the team is now exploring modifications for future engines, including thrust upgrades, new cycles, and design for mass production.

About the role:

As a Responsible Engineer, you'll have cradle-to-grave ownership of your assigned component, from initial design through manufacturing, testing, qualification, and flight. This level of end-to-end ownership over combustion hardware is rare in the aerospace industry, where these responsibilities are typically distributed across multiple teams and organizations. Combustion devices are among the most thermally and structurally critical components in the engine, operating under extreme temperatures and pressures. The RE role provides technical ownership at the component level, requiring coordination across disciplines and direct accountability for hardware decisions throughout the entire product lifecycle.

About you:

• Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field
• 2+ years of experience working in the development of propulsion components, combustion components, or related hardware
• Experience applying engineering fundamentals in thermodynamics, thermal, structural, and fluids

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Experience in a rocket engine development and/or test environment
• Clear evidence of ownership from school or work experience
• Working knowledge of engine subsystems such as combustion devices, heat exchangers, ducting
• Exposure to powder bed additive manufacturing and automation techniques

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:

$104,000 — $156,000 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].

Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.