Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Stage Forming

Relativity Space
Long Beach, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at mid-to-senior level manufacturing engineers who can lead forming operations and process innovation in aerospace.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 4+ years of manufacturing process improvement experience and a background in aerospace or advanced manufacturing
    — “4+ years progressive and related experience required”
  • Individuals who have led the development of large-scale forming capabilities for high-precision applications
    — “Bring online a press brake work center and lead the development effort for the company to be capable of forming up to 20’ sheets of material”
  • Engineers with a strong foundation in GD&T and the ability to translate design intent into manufacturable specifications
    — “Deep knowledge of common metallic manufacturing processes, tools, inspection methods and GD&T”

Things to consider

  • The role requires a physical presence in Long Beach, California, with likely in-person shop floor responsibilities
    — “Support the shop floor through live issue resolution”
  • Candidates must be prepared to work in a rapidly evolving environment where processes are frequently optimized
    — “With a manifest and a launch date, it’s up to the team to deliver on Terran R”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience in large-scale forming and automation integration in your resume and interview responses
    — “Opportunities to apply automation, machine learning, and advanced technologies”
  • Demonstrate your ability to standardize and improve manufacturing processes with concrete examples
    — “Help standardize processes across the manufacturing team”
  • Showcase your ability to provide design feedback that improves manufacturability and reduces complexity
    — “Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with engineering and manufacturing groups to understand process constraints and provide design inputs for improved manufacturability”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • improved manufacturing processes
  • led development projects
  • standardized processes
Typical background
manufacturing engineeringmechanical engineering

Skills & requirements

Required

Manufacturing EngineeringProcess ImprovementMetallic ProcessingMechanics Of MaterialsGD&T

Preferred

AutomationMachine Learning

Stack & domain

ManufacturingMechanical EngineeringProcess ImprovementFormingMetallic ProcessingMechanics Of MaterialsCommon Metallic Manufacturing ProcessesToolsInspection MethodsGD&TInterpersonal SkillsAbility To Interface With Engineering And Manufacturing GroupsRocket ManufacturingFactory Operations

About the role

Original posting from Relativity Space via Greenhouse

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 Manufacturing team turns design into reality, owning the build of Terran R’s primary structures. This isn’t about turning the same bolt every day; it’s about building the systems to build the rocket. Engineers and technicians work side by side, with deep collaboration and real-time feedback, to shape how we build better and faster. With a manifest and a launch date, it’s up to the team to deliver on Terran R: solving challenges in real time, optimizing for scale, and constantly improving processes. As the vehicle evolves, so will the factory, with opportunities to apply automation, machine learning, and advanced technologies. What we build here sets the blueprint for the future of scaled launch.

About the Role:

Own Forming operations within the work center, being responsible for delivery of all formed products and improving both roll forming and press brake process

Bring online a press brake work center and lead the development effort for the company to be capable of forming up to 20’ sheets of material for our rocket primary structure

Create work instructions, specifications, and best practices across multiple high-fidelity processes

Help standardize processes across the manufacturing team

Support the shop floor through live issue resolution and provide upstream feedback as we innovate the next generation of manufacturing technology

Provide Design for Manufacturing feedback to structures teams during the development phase and through the first prototype and flight builds

About You:

Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, mechanical engineering, or other engineering discipline

4+ years progressive and related experience required

A history of improving manufacturing processes and the ability to independently identify and lead development projects needed to meet processing requirements

Strong engineering fundamentals in process improvement, forming, metallic processing, mechanics of materials

Deep knowledge of common metallic manufacturing processes, tools, inspection methods and GD&T

Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with engineering and manufacturing groups to understand process constraints and provide design inputs for improved manufacturability

Strong 3D & 2D design/drafting skills per ASME Y14.5M (NX preferred) 

Nice to have, but not required:

Direct experience with roll forming and press brake forming aluminum alloys

New product introduction of an aerospace hardware system into a manufacturing, test, and production system with proven success

Experience in managing projects in a fast-paced environment 

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:$122,000—$182,000 USDWe 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 accommodations@relativityspace.com.

Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.

Source: Relativity Space careers (Greenhouse)

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