Supervisor, Machine Shop, Quick Turn

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 112,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity options

Generous PTO and sick leave

Parental leave

Learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space, based in Long Beach, California, is seeking a Machinist to lead operations supporting rocket development. The ideal candidate has 7+ years of machining experience, including supervisory roles, and excels in collaborative environments.

You will work with advanced machinery and have a direct impact on rapid prototyping and production hardware. The position offers a competitive salary range of $112,000 to $168,000, along with generous benefits including PTO, parental leave, and learning stipends.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on machining experience (CNC mill/turn, multi-axis).
• 2+ years in a supervisory or lead role.
• Proven ability to lead and scale teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operation for quick turn/prototype operations.
• Supervise and develop a team of machinists.
• Partner with engineering, supply chain, and quality teams.
• Support strategy development for department efficiency.

Skills

Hands-on machining experience

Supervisory experience

Excellent communication

Cross-functional collaboration

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 Machine Shop team delivers high‑precision, high‑quality machined components that are critical to Terran R’s success. Here, you’ll combine technical skill with creativity, collaborating closely with engineering and design teams to drive better part designs and manufacturing solutions. You’ll work with best‑in‑class, premium machinery and get to bring our expanded, state‑of‑the‑art machine shop to life to support the scale and pace of the Terran R program. This role offers the rare chance to see your craftsmanship directly integrated into flight hardware, making an immediate impact. With clear training pathways, you’ll have opportunities to advance from operating machines to programming them, growing your career alongside the program.

About the Role:

• Lead day‑to‑day operation for a quick turn / prototype / emergent operations supporting development programs for launch vehicles and propulsion systems
• Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of machinists driving a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement while meeting aggressive build schedules
• Partner cross‑functionally with engineering, supply chain, and quality teams to deliver hardware critical to the business, mitigating supplier risk, keeping key development initiative on track, and supporting production hardware with fixturing
• Support strategy development to architect a department that wins on lead time, key contributor to implement that strategy

About You:

• 7+ years of hands‑on machining experience (CNC mill/turn, multi‑axis, tight‑tolerance aerospace work) with 2+ years in a supervisory or lead role
• Proven ability to lead and scale teams in fast‑paced prototype settings—comfortable balancing urgency, quality, and safety while building structure within a newly developed department
• Excellent communicator and cross‑functional partner who thrives in collaborative environments, capable of interfacing with design, quality, and supply chain teams
• Hands‑on leader with a strong ownership mindset – willingness to step in to solve problems in real time

Nice to haves but not required:

• Experience supporting rapid hardware development in a high‑performance environment
• Knowledge of ERP systems and production planning tools
• Experience developing and implementing key performance indexes

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 and perks we offer, please visit here.

Hiring Range: $112,000 — $168,000 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].