Staff Spacecraft Systems Engineer

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 246,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity options

Generous PTO and sick leave

Parental leave

Annual learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, California is seeking a Staff Spacecraft Systems Responsible Engineer to lead the definition and delivery of spacecraft bus systems for interplanetary missions. This role involves collaborating with internal and external teams to ensure successful mission execution and managing the integration of complex systems.

The ideal candidate should have significant experience in spacecraft systems engineering and the ability to lead cross-functional teams effectively. A Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant field is required, along with excellent communication skills. Competitive compensation and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in spacecraft or satellite systems engineering.
• Proven ability to manage multiple vendors and customers.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams through integration and test.

Responsibilities

• Define, integrate, and deliver spacecraft bus and its interaction with mission payloads.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external providers for mission success.
• Track spacecraft-level requirements and performance budgets throughout the mission lifecycle.

Skills

Spacecraft subsystems understanding

Complex systems management

Cross-functional team leadership

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace 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 Interplanetary Sciences Program was established to expand access to scientific exploration across our solar system. Its mission is to make planetary research faster, more affordable, and more capable than ever before by rethinking how science missions are designed, built, and operated. The program aims to enable scientists to send instruments to distant worlds without decades of development or prohibitive costs. By creating a sustainable model for interplanetary exploration, we are transforming space science from an occasional event into a continuous process of discovery that accelerates knowledge, broadens participation, and inspires the next generation of explorers.

About the Role:

As the Staff Spacecraft Systems Responsible Engineer within the Interplanetary Sciences Program at Relativity Space, you will own the end-to-end definition, integration, and delivery of the spacecraft bus and its interaction with mission payloads. You will serve as the technical and programmatic focal point ensuring that spacecraft-level requirements, interfaces, and performance budgets (power, mass, thermal, comm, etc.) are properly defined, tracked, and met throughout the mission lifecycle.

You’ll collaborate across internal teams and with external spacecraft bus providers to ensure mission success, from design and procurement through integration, test, launch, and operations. This position blends systems engineering, vendor management, and hands‑on mission execution, offering a high degree of ownership and impact.

About You:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• 7+ years of experience in spacecraft or satellite systems engineering, integration, or mission design
• Proven ability to manage complex systems with multiple vendors and customers
• Strong understanding of spacecraft subsystems (power, thermal, comms, ADCS, propulsion, etc.) and their interdependencies
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams through integration and test, launch campaigns, or mission operations
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership skills with the ability to interface across technical and programmatic boundaries

Nice to have but not required:

• Experience with end-to-end mission development, including payload-to-spacecraft integration
• Familiarity with NASA or commercial spacecraft systems engineering processes in an applied / New‑Space manner is a plus
• Experience supporting launch and early operations of spacecraft missions
• Prior work with deep-space or interplanetary spacecraft systems

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: $164,000 — $246,000 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].