Sr Manager, Vehicle Software Infrastructure

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 206,000 - 282,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Parental leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, California is seeking a seasoned Software Engineering leader to develop mission-critical Linux-based software infrastructure. The role involves collaboration with multiple engineering functions and mentoring teams while ensuring software performance and reliability.

With a requirement of 10+ years in Software Engineering, candidates will drive operational improvements and have deep debugging experience. The hiring range for this position is $206,000—$282,500 annually, complemented by competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Software Engineering Experience with 4+ years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience leading high-performing teams on complex projects.
• Deep experience debugging complex system issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and maintenance of Linux-based software infrastructure.
• Build tools and systems supporting test execution across environments.
• Mentor VSI engineers ensuring processes help reduce technical risk.

Skills

Leadership in engineering

Software infrastructure development

Strong communication skills

Debugging complex systems

Team mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in 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 Vehicle Software team develops the safety‑critical software that runs on Terran R. The work spans a distributed, real‑time control system operating under extreme conditions like Mach 5 atmospheric flight, with a deployment pace that allows you to see your code run on rocket engines daily. The team is building new system architecture from the ground up and just as importantly, testing, releasing, and deploying it. You don’t need an aerospace background: what matters is experience with high‑reliability software for complex systems. This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundation of Terran R’s software stack while directly influencing performance, reliability, and flight success.

About The Role

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of mission‑critical, Linux‑based software infrastructure for command, telemetry, simulation, and test automation systems
• Build and evolve tools and systems that support test execution across multiple environments including virtualized hardware, HIL/SIL setups, and integrated vehicle‑in‑the‑loop testing
• Collaborate across engineering functions (e.g. avionics, ground software, flight software) to align on deliverables, integration points, and operational readiness
• Mentor/coach VSI engineers while providing a second set of technical eyes ensuring processes are being leveraged to help burn down technical risk
• Look broadly at existing infrastructure and the interfaces between ground and vehicle software and recommend tools and process updates to increase robustness and tool performance

About You

• 10+ years of Software Engineering Experience with 4+ years of experience in a leadership role
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field
• Proven experience leading high‑performing engineering teams delivering successful Software Infrastructure on complex, cross‑functional projects
• Strong communication and organizational skills, capable of coordinating across engineering, Ground Software, integration, and executive teams
• Experience driving operational improvements, asset utilization, and process standardization within technical laboratory environments
• Proven ability to scale engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and conducting performance reviews
• Deep experience debugging complex system issues and driving root cause analysis in test or production environments
• Familiarity with systems assurance concepts such as redundancy, fault tolerance, or formal verification

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Prior Space industry 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!

Hiring Range

$206,000—$282,500 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].