Vehicle Simulation Engineer II

Relativity Space; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 126,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO and sick leave policy

Annual learning and development stipend

Parental leave

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking an engineering professional to integrate design data and develop software tooling for optimizing launch trajectories. The role demands a strong background in complex systems, programming skills, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced startup.

The ideal candidate should have a degree in Engineering or a related field and relevant experience in rocketry or space systems. Attractive benefits include competitive salary and equity, PTO, and a learning stipend.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of relevant full-time work experience with ability to solve complex problems.
• Direct experience on rocketry, space systems, or complex hardware systems.
• Completion of projects with end-to-end ownership and high independence.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with design teams to integrate design data into customer mission simulations.
• Develop software tooling to optimize launch and orbital trajectories.
• Lead design trade analyses to inform vehicle and mission decisions.

Skills

Problem-solving

Programming (Python, Julia, MATLAB)

Complex systems understanding

Collaboration

Education

Undergraduate or graduate degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics

Tools

Simulation software

Docker

Job description

Introduction

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 Integrated Performance team owns the holistic view of how Terran R comes together, ensuring that every system on the vehicle and ground is capable of achieving our ambitious objectives. The team works across the full launch system, from trajectory design and aerodynamics to reliability analysis and beyond, with direct influence on all parts of the product lifecycle, from conceptual design to post‑flight data review. Beyond analysis, team members engage hands‑on with hardware and operations, with the mission and authority to drive meaningful programmatic change. With a unique organizational structure, the integrated performance team spans multiple technical domains and embeds directly with partner teams to solve the hardest multi‑disciplinary problems. The team operates with a rare scale: large enough to support complex development, yet small enough that individual contributors have meaningful impact.

About The Role

• Closely collaborate with key design teams to integrate the latest design data into full simulations of customer missions
• Develop and leverage software tooling to optimize launch and orbital trajectories across key customer missions
• Lead interdisciplinary design trade analyses to inform critical decisions about the vehicle, mission trajectories, and ConOps
• Define and maintain high‑level vehicle and trajectory design requirements to inform the overall design process
• Implement, maintain, and improve software tooling across a variety of languages, from core simulation capabilities to peripheral analysis utilities
• Establish and lead cross‑functional collaboration with key teams across Vehicle Engineering

About You

• An undergraduate or graduate degree (BS/MS/PhD) in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field
• 1+ years of relevant full‑time work experience with demonstrated ability to solve complex problems from first principles
• Direct experience on rocketry, space systems, or equally complex hardware systems
• Strong proficiency in high‑level programming languages (e.g. Python, Julia, MATLAB) and setting up complex simulation processes
• Ability to complete projects with end‑to‑end ownership and a high degree of independence
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced and intense startup environment

Nice To Haves But Not Required

• Familiarity with launch vehicle trajectory design and optimization
• Have previously been a leading contributor on complex multi‑disciplinary engineering analysis projects
• Prior work in a startup environment
• Experience working with advanced software development practices such as Docker, Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), and dependency management

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

$126,000—$188,000 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].