Senior Propulsion Engineer, Integrated Design

Relativity Space, Inc.; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 132,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space, Inc. is seeking a Senior Propulsion Engineer for Integrated Design to own engine layout and packaging for Terran R propulsion systems.

You’ll release CAD/eBOM and design critical hardware components across the propulsion stack, from gimbal to cryogenic ducts, collaborating with manufacturing, test, and vehicle design teams to push performance and manufacturability. You will lead development of new manufacturing and testing methods to enhance reliability and reduce cost, while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering and 5+ years of industry experience.
• Demonstrated project/technical leadership skills.
• Strong fundamentals in structures, fluids, thermal and mechanisms.
• Experience designing, analyzing, assembling, or testing hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own overall engine layout and packaging; conduct layout trade studies.
• Control and release CAD/eBOM for top-level engine assemblies.
• Design and analyze hardware such as engine gimbal, cryogenic ducts, manifolds.
• Lead development of new manufacturing/testing methods to improve performance and cost.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Test and Vehicle Design teams.

Skills

Technical leadership

Engineering fundamentals

Hardware design

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

Job description

Senior Propulsion Engineer, Integrated Design

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: The Propulsion Integrated Design team owns the overall layout and packaging of Relativity’s engines, as well as the design and analysis of critical structural and fluids components. As a Responsible Engineer on the team, here are some things you may work on:

• Own overall engine layout and packaging, including conducting layout trade studies of different possible engine configurations
• Control and release the CAD/eBOM for top‑level engine assemblies.
• Design and analyze hardware such as the engine gimbal, cryogenic and hot propellant ducting, fluid manifolds, tubing and secondary structures
• Lead the development of new methods for manufacturing or testing critical flight hardware to improve performance, reliability, and/or cost
• Collaborate closely with our partner teams: Manufacturing, Test and Vehicle Design

About You:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field and 5+ relevant industry experience
• Demonstrated project/technical leadership skills
• Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals in structures, fluids, thermal, and mechanisms
• Experience designing, analyzing, assembling, and/or testing hardware

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter, specifically
• Experience in the design of liquid propulsion components and systems
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and commercial tools such as Ansys, Abaqus, or Nastran
• Familiarity with aerospace standards (AS, NAS, SAE, etc.)

This position will be posted for a minimum of 5 days and will remain open until a qualified candidate is hired.

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:

$132,000 - $198,000 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.

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.

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