Staff Stage Development Engineer, Vehicle Systems and Test

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

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach is seeking a Stage Responsible Engineer for the Vehicle Systems and Integrated Test team. You will collaborate across disciplines to design, build, test, fly, recover, and reuse Terran R, ensuring integration of stages and vehicles throughout their lifecycle.

The role emphasizes cross-functional ownership, fast-paced problem solving, and hands-on work with hardware. You will lead end-to-end test campaigns, drive risk and verification activities, and travel to test

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field and 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Technical aptitude and basic understanding of all functional disciplines (Mechanical, Fluids, and Electrical engineering).

Responsibilities

• Own Stage test campaigns end-to-end: develop test plans with product owners, execute campaigns at Stennis, write test sequences, review data, sit console for hotfire tests, and work hands-on with hardware
• Troubleshoot technical challenges in real-time; drive systems integration: perform requirements decomposition, develop verification activities at vehicle/system/unit levels, and execute operational plans and CONOPs for test, hotfire, and launch campaigns
• Balance risk and execution: lead risk adjudication and mitigation planning while driving systems through qualification, acceptance, and hotfire test campaigns
• Support cross-functional systems work: subsystem troubleshooting, partner investigations, engine analysis/simulation, trade studies, and more
• Travel to test and launch sites with flexibility for shifted schedules and weekend work during critical milestones

Skills

Stage test campaigns

Systems integration

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

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 Systems Engineering team ensures that Terran R comes together as a cohesive, high-performing, and scalable system. Within the department, one team focuses on building tools and processes to manage requirements, track decisions, and identify and mitigate risk - enabling faster, more informed development across the program. Engineers work across domains to understand complex problems, identify solutions, and implement them – all with deep technical knowledge, not just documentation. The other team focuses on the vehicle itself, working across teams to ensure all subsystems of Terran R function together as intended, burning down technical risk, and driving informed decisions at every stage of the vehicle lifecycle. Engineers are empowered to lead high-impact efforts, from major test campaigns to console operations during launch, and are trusted to drive improvements across fluids, structures, avionics, and more. Regardless of which team you’re on, you’ll be part of a high-visibility, high-impact department at a pivotal moment in the program, where decisions made today on trades, architecture, and process will shape not just the first launch, but the long‑term trajectory of Relativity.

About The Role

This Role is on the Vehicle Systems and Integrated Test team in Vehicle Engineering - the focal point for integrating stages and vehicles throughout their entire lifecycle. We specialize in cross‑functional vehicle development, designing for operability, defining Concepts of Operations, and solving complex, first‑time challenges that balance execution speed with risk. We're hiring a Stage Responsible Engineer (RE) for integrated vehicle testing. You'll collaborate with every function across the company to design, build, test, fly, recover, and reuse Terran R.

What You'll Do

• Own Stage test campaigns end‑to‑end: develop test plans with product owners, execute campaigns at Stennis, write test sequences, review data, sit console for hotfire tests, and work hands‑on with hardware
• Troubleshoot technical challenges in real‑time; drive systems integration: perform requirements decomposition, develop verification activities at vehicle/system/unit levels, and execute operational plans and CONOPs for test, hotfire, and launch campaigns
• Balance risk and execution: lead risk adjudication and mitigation planning while driving systems through qualification, acceptance, and hotfire test campaigns
• Support cross‑functional systems work: subsystem troubleshooting, partner investigations, engine analysis/simulation, trade studies, and more
• Travel to test and launch sites with flexibility for shifted schedules and weekend work during critical milestones

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field and 8+ years of relevant experience
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment
• Technical aptitude and basic understanding of all functional disciplines (Mechanical, Fluids, and Electrical engineering)

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Graduate degree in engineering or related field and 10+ years of relevant experience
• Act with ownership, demonstrating a high level of responsibility over the resulting outcomes
• Proven experience in design, manufacturing, assembly, and testing of complex aerospace systems
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical problems into simple concepts for a broader audience
• Leadership or coordination experience in a multidisciplinary engineering project and demonstrated ability to lead by influence and collaborate with technical owners

Compensation

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].