Vehicle Fluids Hardware Development Engineer I

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

PTO & sick leave

Parental leave

Learning and development stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space seeks a Vehicle Fluids Hardware Development Engineer I to join our Long Beach facility. You will own hardware design and implementation for vehicle fluid systems on the Terran R program, ensuring reliable, high-performance hardware and manufacturability.

On-site collaboration with propulsion and manufacturing teams is essential to meet ambitious timelines. The role demands strong engineering fundamentals and aerospace manufacturing knowledge, with hands-on build/integration of

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a science/engineering/technology/math field.
• Hands-on hardware experience with fluid or mechanical systems.
• Ability to deliver on ambitious schedules with creative solutions.
• 1+ years of related full-time, internship, or project experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop manufacturing processes and tools for high‑rate production.
• Collaborate with design and analysis teams to simplify propulsion systems.
• Lead design for manufacturing (DFM) initiatives and participate in design reviews.
• Design test set-ups and coordinate development, qualification, and acceptance testing.
• Participate in test failure investigations and implement corrective actions.
• Design, analyze, and procure tooling for part manufacturing and system testing.
• Create and maintain development build and test schedules.

Skills

Hands-on hardware

Fluid systems

Design for manufacturing

Strong scheduling

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, technology, or mathematics

Job description

Vehicle Fluids Hardware Development Engineer I

Long Beach, California, United States

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 Stage Fluids team is responsible for the design and delivery of propellant, pressurant, pneumatics, and other fluid systems that turn structures into functioning rockets! The team has full ownership across design, production, test, and flight, maintaining a holistic view of Terran R, focused not on isolated parts but integrated functionality. Working on‑site at the factory means you’re never far from the hardware, enabling rapid iteration and tight feedback loops across design and manufacturing. You won’t just be handed requirements: you’ll be expected to ask the right questions, collaborate with partners across the company, and ultimately find the best solutions for Terran R.

About the Role:

In this role, you will be responsible for the hardware design and implementation of that hardware into vehicle fluid systems, ensuring a reliable and efficient operation of our Terran R launch vehicle. Your primary tasks will be focused on:

Vehicle Fluids Hardware Development Engineers are responsible for taking the vehicle hardware from paper designs to highly reliable, high-performance hardware. This role requires deep engagement with both the design and production teams to ensure our designs are readily manufacturable, and our manufacturing processes are reliable and production ready. You will also be responsible for developing new manufacturing processes to improve the Terran-R vehicle. You should have strong engineering fundamentals as well as a knowledge of aerospace manufacturing techniques to be an effective Hardware Development Engineer. The role demands close interaction with propulsion hardware, including defining build procedures and hands‑on build and integration of hardware.

Responsibilities:

• Develop manufacturing processes, new techniques, and tools to enable high‑rate productions and increase engine performance
• Work hand‑in‑hand with the design and analysis teams to simplify our propulsion systems
• Participate in design reviews and lead design for manufacturing (DFM) initiatives
• Design test set‑ups, coordinate and execute development, qualification, and acceptance testing of systems, and conduct data reviews
• Participate in test failure investigations and implement corrective actions
• Design, analyze, and procure tooling for piece part manufacturing and system testing
• Create and maintain development build and test schedules

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
• Hands‑on hardware experience with fluid and/or mechanical systems
• Demonstrated drive to deliver on ambitious schedules, especially if unconventional & creative solutions are necessary to do so
• 1+ years of related experience (full time, internships or projects)

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:

$90,000 - $136,000 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.