Senior Materials & Processes Engineer, Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) Long Beach, California

Relativity; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 133,000 - 170,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Generous PTO and sick leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Job summary

A leading aerospace company in Long Beach is seeking a Materials Engineer to specialize in Powder Bed Fusion additive manufacturing. This role demands 5+ years of relevant experience and expertise in material selection, qualification, and collaboration with teams. You will qualify materials for flight and assist in innovative manufacturing processes. The company offers competitive compensation, equity, and generous benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant materials engineering experience.
• Experience with general propulsion hardware M&P activities.
• Experience performing material and part qualifications for AM PBF hardware.

Responsibilities

• Be the M&P discipline expert for Powder Bed Fusion additive manufacturing.
• Qualify PBF materials and products for flight and reuse.
• Drive system-level requirements and workflows for PBF processes.

Skills

Materials engineering experience

Collaboration

Accountability

Desire for interdisciplinary relationships

Passion for fast-paced environments

Education

Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering

Tools

Additive manufacturing

Welding techniques

Job description

Long Beach, California

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 Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly, re-fly, and scale: developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites, the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution, balancing performance and reliability with cost, quality, and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond, the challenges become more exciting, offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re‑use. With ownership across products, systems, and disciplines, engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations.

About the Role:

• Be the M&P discipline expert for Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing of reusable launch vehicle products
• Be the M&P owner of reusable Liquid Propulsion Products and Materials Systems
• Qualify PBF materials and products for flight + reuse
• Drive system‑level requirements and workflows to qualify PBF materials + parts for damage‑tolerant design, inspection, flight, and reuse
• Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards for our PBF materials
• Drive PBF material process improvement campaigns in partnership with the PBF engineering team
• Interface with:
  • PBF Engineering + Production staff to iterate and qualify PBF processes
  • Materials engineering staff to identify, define, and fill critical technology gaps
  • Laboratory staff to characterize PBF materials and processes
  • Design Engineers for product materials selection, allowables development, analysis, qualification, flight, and reuse
  • Manufacturing Engineers to reduce cost + rate while maintaining needed performance from our PBF printed materials
  • Quality assurance to facilitate specification compliance validation across all PBF processes
  • Propulsion Engineers to perform failure analysis, root cause and corrective action campaigns when PBF parts fail in service
  • Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse with PBF printed parts
  • Company Leadership to elevate risks and power through roadblocks

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of relevant materials engineering experience
  • Leveling is flexible and will be adjusted for candidates with more experience
• Experience with general propulsion hardware M&P activities, such as material selection, qualification, damage tolerance, inspections, risk assessments, and failure analysis
• Experience performing material and part qualifications for AM PBF hardware
• A core commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution
• A desire to establish and foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company
• An authentic, introspective, and inclusive mindset towards technical, interpersonal, team growth, and development
• Passion to work in a fast‑paced and challenging environment on constantly iterating PBF printed rocket engine products, driving big impact on critical program needs as we ramp manufacturing rate + achieve reuse

Nice to haves, but not required:

• Industry‑leading expertise in metal PBF additive manufacturing for production of reusable rocket engine or aerospace parts
• Expertise in nickel, ferrous, aluminum, or titanium alloy systems
• Metallic AM experience beyond PBF: EBAM, LP‑DED, WAAM, Cold Spray, etc.
• Metallic fusion welding M&P expertise in Laser Welding, EBW, GTAW, GMAW, etc.
• Metallic wrought, forging, or casting M&P expertise
• Knowledge of surface modification processes and coatings relevant to inhibit surface damage + corrosion of reusable rocket parts
• Statistical experimental design and design allowable calculation methodology expertise

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:

$133,000 - $170,500 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.

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