Vehicle Mechanisms Engineer I

Relativity; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space is building the Terran R rocket and its integrated structures and mechanisms. You will guide the design of mechanisms such as stage separation, payload deployment, aero control features, and landing gear, collaborating with structures, avionics, and fluids teams to deliver a complete design cycle.

The role emphasizes autonomous ownership in a fast-paced environment, with hands-on hardware, analysis, and testing to meet schedule and budget goals.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in engineering or related field is required.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to lead discussions on complex technical topics.
• Fundamental knowledge of kinematic synthesis, pneumatic/hydraulic actuation, mechatronics and instrumentation.
• Fundamental knowledge of structures strength, stability and fatigue failure modes.
• Hands-on hardware build experience and manufacturing process understanding.

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and test Terran R mechanisms such as stage separation and deployment systems.
• Collaborate with structures, avionics, and fluids teams to integrate subsystems.
• Lead design decisions with an emphasis on manufacturability and speed of iteration.
• Contribute to trade studies, criteria definitions, and subsystem requirements.
• Deliver design and hardware across the full project lifecycle from concept to flight hardware.

Education

Undergraduate degree in engineering or related field

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

Ansys

Femap

Python

MATLAB

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 Structures and Mechanisms team is responsible for the full design, build, and test lifecycle of Terran R's integrated structures and flight mechanisms. Whether you're working on highly iterative mechanisms that move or tight-margin structures that shouldn't, you'll get hands-on hardware ownership and see the rocket coming to life on the factory floor. Both teams fall under one department, sharing design principles, tools, and an integrated approach that provides a comprehensive view of Terran R. Team members work on multiple parts, not just within a single subsystem, and are empowered to make decisions that directly impact flight hardware. Beyond first flight, you'll play a critical role in refining for manufacturability and speed.

About the Role:

To support our mission of changing the way rockets are built and flown, you will guide the design of Terran R mechanisms such as stage separation, payload deployment, aero control features and landing gear. To be successful, you will be working collaboratively with partner groups such as structures, avionics and fluids; and leverage our additive process and design freedom to design and build better products. The scope of work encompasses a full design cycle, including conceptualization, trade studies, design, analysis, manufacturing and testing of components.

Here are some examples of projects you could be working on:

• Design and test the Terran R stage separation or fairing deployment system
• Innovative conceptualization of the Terran R landing gear or aero surfaces actuation
• Definition of design criteria and subsystems requirements
• Review of static and dynamic load inputs, material properties & manufacturing process
• Conduct trade studies on different mechanism design concepts and present to leadership

In order to be successful in this role, you should be someone who is self-motivated, thrives in ambiguity, and is able to lead his or her own projects to completion. Ideally, you are someone who has come from a fast paced environment, having completed difficult projects with extreme ownership while collaborating effectively with other key groups.

Your mission will be to deliver on time and budget. You will be challenged to integrate as many subsystems within our printed primary structure, and support the development of our additive process to make this a reality. To achieve this, you will be working closely with our vehicle design, test and loads teams, as well as our additive and manufacturing teams.

About You:

• Undergraduate degree in engineering or related field
• 0-2+ years of experience in a full-cycle design engineering role, including CAD, analysis, build and test
• Fundamental knowledge of kinematic synthesis, pneumatic/hydraulic actuation, mechatronics and instrumentation
• Fundamental knowledge of structures strength, stability and fatigue failure modes
• Technical problem-solving, manufacturing processing, materials, surface treatments and hands-on hardware build experience
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to lead discussions on complex technical topics

Nice to haves but not required:

• Experience with launch vehicle mechanisms and multi-body dynamics analysis
• Experience in a demanding fast-paced development environment
• Proficiency with design engineering tools such as NX, Teamcenter, Ansys or Femap, as well as engineering scripting languages such as Python or MATLAB
• Hands-on experience with fabrication/prototyping such as machining, 3D printing, welding, woodworking

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 fac