Senior Avionics Operations Engineer New Long Beach, California, United States

Relativity Space, Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 222,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking an Avionics Operations Engineer to design, develop, and execute avionics testing strategies across the Terran R lifecycle. You will work with the avionics design team to identify issues and build automation to improve testing efficiency.

You will coordinate with Range Safety, NASA, and ground station partners, ensuring readiness for test and launch operations. This role emphasizes testing of RF, ground segments, autonomy, and system integration.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years experience with integrated systems test such as flight test, hardware-in-the-loop, or development of test platforms.
• Experience with verification, validation, and test planning for complex electrical/software systems

Responsibilities

• Responsible engineer for avionics RF/Ground Segment integration, design validation, test, and operations.
• Coordinate efforts to ensure subsystems are ready for test and launch operations, including system integration and testing.
• Develop vehicle-level avionics CONOPs, go/no-go criteria, automation, and operator manuals.
• Coordinate with 3rd parties such as Range Safety, NASA, and ground station partners.
• Support on-console test operations and data review for avionics during stage-level tests and launches

Skills

Systems test

Python/MATLAB

V&V planning

Education

EE/CE/CS/AE degree

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 launchcapacity. 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 Avionics team is responsible for all aspects of the electrical design on the rocket, from electronics, interconnects, associated mechanical design, testing and initial production. This team's scope includes the flight computers, power systems, RF systems, PCB design, autonomous flight safety systems, and telemetry. This team works on complex electrical systems that require modularity and flexibility, and are critical to the successful launch of Terran R, and beyond!

About The Role:

The Avionics Test & Operations team is responsible for testing avionics hardware and systems across the entire product lifecycle of Terran R: component-, subsystem-, and vehicle-level. As an Avionics Operations Engineer at Relativity Space, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and executing avionics testing strategies for our rocket systems. This includes working closely with the avionics design team to identify and troubleshoot any issues, and developing automation and testing infrastructure to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

• Responsible engineer for avionics RF/Ground Segment + Autonomous Flight Safety System integration, design validation, test, and operations
• Coordinate efforts to ensure the subsystems are ready for test and launch operations, to include system integration, system testing and verification
• Develop vehicle-level avionics CONOPs, go/no-go criteria, system automation, and operator manuals
• Coordinate with 3rd parties from Range Safety, NASA, and commercial ground station partners
• Support on-console test operations and data review for the avionics system during stage-level test and launch operations

About You:

• Undergraduate or graduate degree (BS/MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• 5+ years experience with integrated systems test, such as flight test, hardware or software design validation, or development of hardware in the loop test platforms
• Understanding of engineering requirements capture and the verification/validation test planning process
• Experience testing, validating, and troubleshooting complex integrated electrical and software systems
• Experience with scripting languages such as Python or MATLAB for data acquisition/recording and analysis

Nice To Haves But Not Required:

• Familiarity with regulatory requirements such as RCC319, RCC324, Part 450, and SSCMAN 91-710
• Familiarity with telemetry systems, RF theory, and telemetry standards such as IRIG 106
• Familiarity with common communication protocols such as Ethernet, CAN, UART, SPI, 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:

$148,000 - $222,000 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.

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: