Staff Turbomachinery Engineer, Turbine Development

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 225,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Annual learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, California, is seeking a Technical Expert in turbine design to collaborate on advanced turbomachinery for the Terran R vehicle. The successful candidate will engage closely with propulsion development and manufacturing teams, utilizing over ten years of experience in aerodynamics and structural analysis.

Ideal candidates will thrive in ambiguity, handle challenging issues, and possess strong communication skills and knowledge of industry-standard procedures. This position offers a competitive salary range of $164,000 to $225,500 alongside comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Must thrive in ambiguity and drive projects to completion.
• Experience with turbine design and analysis methodologies.
• Knowledge of turbopump assembly procedures required.

Responsibilities

• Advance turbine design for space applications.
• Collaborate with propulsion and manufacturing teams.
• Help build, test, and iterate on Aeon-R engine systems.

Skills

Turbine design

Aerodynamic analysis

Structural analysis

Strong communication skills

Education

Degree in engineering or related technical field

10+ years of relevant experience

Tools

Siemens NX

Teamcenter

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 propulsion team at Relativity is responsible for the successful development of the engines that will power the Terran R vehicle. We own their design from concept through to launch and reuse. Our team partners heavily with manufacturing, test, launch, and integration teams, striving to develop our engines in record time and to support Terran R’s first launch in 2026. As part of this team, you will help build, test, and iterate on the full product lifecycle of our Aeon‑R engine systems, seeing them mature and eventually bring Terran R into space.

About The Role

We are looking for a technical expert who can help advance the state of the art of turbine design for space applications. You will collaborate closely with the propulsion development and manufacturing teams to incorporate improvements into future designs. In order to be successful in this role, you should be someone who thrives in ambiguity and is able to drive their own projects to completion. You must have the passion, tenacity and resolve to work through challenging issues unique to rocket turbopumps. We are looking for someone multifaceted, and capable of working at the interfaces of design, development, and analysis of turbomachinery. Ideally, you are someone who has come from a fast paced, aerospace environment, having completed difficult projects while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary groups.

About You

• Degree in engineering or related technical field and 10+ years of relevant experience
• Experience with turbine design, performing aerodynamic and structural analysis
• Experience with LCF and HCF methodologies
• Knowledge of industry standard turbomachinery design and analysis
• Strong communication skills
• Knowledge of turbopump assembly procedures, including rotor balancing, interference fits, clearance checks, structural proofing, and leak checks

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Experience with transient thermal / aerodynamic analysis
• Experience with forced response analysis
• Experience with in‑situ mode shape / blade deformation measurement
• Experience overseeing turbomachinery development and/or test campaigns
• Proficiency in Siemens NX and Teamcenter
• Experience in a startup or agile development environment
• Experience working in a flight development program

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

$164,000—$225,500 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].