Senior Materials & Processes Engineer, Adhesives and Sealants

Relativity Space
Long Beach, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Candidates with aerospace materials experience and a drive for interdisciplinary collaboration will find this role in adhesives and sealants development at Relativity Space.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with aerospace materials expertise and a background in process development for reusable systems
    — “pioneering progress that reaches beyond the known”
  • Individuals who have led qualification campaigns for non-metallic materials in extreme environments
    — “Identify qualification envelopes, form test plans, execute characterization campaigns”
  • Engineers with a history of cross-functional collaboration in manufacturing and design contexts
    — “collaborate across teams, shape decisions, and see your work come to life in record time”

Things to consider

  • The role demands hands-on ownership of material systems with direct impact on flight readiness
    — “own adhesive & sealant interaction and usage in sensitive Terran-R environments”
  • Compensation is not fixed and depends on multiple factors including experience and qualifications
    — “Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors”

How to stand out

  • Emphasize experience with non-metallic material qualification and reuse in aerospace systems
    — “Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse”
  • Showcase your ability to drive statistically-based process improvement and test planning
    — “Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns”
  • Demonstrate a track record of working with laboratory staff on material characterization
    — “Interface with laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

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

What success looks like

  • qualification envelopes for adhesives and sealants
  • execution of characterization campaigns
  • development of technical specifications
  • process improvement campaigns
Typical background
materials science or engineering backgroundexperience in aerospace or manufacturing

Skills & requirements

Required

Materials ScienceProcess EngineeringAdhesives And SealantsQualification EnvelopesTest PlansData AnalysisTechnical SpecificationsStatistically-driven Experimental DesignProcess ImprovementInterface With Materials Engineers, Laboratory Staff, Responsible Engineers, Manufacturing And TPS Engineers, Build Reliability And Supply Chain, Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards

Preferred

Experience In Aerospace Or Manufacturing

Stack & domain

Materials ScienceEngineeringAdhesives And SealantsQualification EnvelopesTest PlansCharacterization CampaignsData AnalysisTechnical SpecificationsEngineering StandardsStatistically-driven Experimental DesignProcess Improvement CampaignsMaterials EngineersLaboratory StaffResponsible EngineersManufacturing And TPS EngineersBuild ReliabilitySupply ChainRelativity + Customer Fracture Control BoardsLeadershipCollaborationProblem-solvingCommunicationTeamworkOwnershipImpactTerran R VehiclePayloadAvionicsRe-useDesignManufacturingOperations

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 Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly, re-fly, and scale: developing, characterizing, and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites, the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution, balancing performance and reliability with cost, quality, and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond, the challenges become more exciting, offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re-use. With ownership across products, systems, and disciplines, engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design, manufacturing, and operations.

About the role: 

Be the M&P discipline expert for all Terran-R adhesives & sealants

Own adhesive & sealant interaction and usage in sensitive Terran-R environments (payload, avionics, etc.)

Identify qualification envelopes, form test plans, execute characterization campaigns, and analyze data for flight qualification and usage

Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards

Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns

Interface with:

Materials engineers to identify, define, and fill critical technology gaps through Relativity developed + commercially available materials

Laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes

Responsible Engineers to support materials selection, design and analysis, qualification, failure analysis, flight, and reuse

Manufacturing and TPS engineers to develop processes, troubleshoot issues, and enable cost & rate while maintaining required performance

Build reliability and supply chain to ensure compliance and reliability

Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse

Leadership to develop technical roadmaps, elevate risks, and overcome roadblocks

About you:  

Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, or related field

5+ years of experience relevant to the competencies listed below

Leveling is flexible – please see other posting levels for expectations

Experience with general M&P activities, such as formulation, material selection, process development, qualification, damage tolerance, inspections, risk assessments, and failure analysis

A core commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution

A desire to establish and foster strong interdisciplinary relationships across the company

An authentic, introspective, and inclusive mindset towards technical, interpersonal, and team growth and development

Passion to work in a fast-paced and challenging environment on constantly iterating products + processes, driving impact on the Terran-R program as we ramp manufacturing rate + achieve reuse

Nice to haves, but not required:  

Demonstrated hands-on ownership of non-metallic materials and processes for use in aerospace products, such as:

Structural & non-structural adhesives, sealants, and elastomers

Primers, paints, and coatings for corrosion, thermal, and electrical applications

Potting, staking, and conformal coats

Elastomeric gaskets and seals

Other polymeric material systems for non-structural and structural applications

Dry film lubricants and greases

Expertise with contamination control and outgassing principles

Expertise with non-metallic testing standards and procedures

Understanding of cryogenic and high temperature non-metallic material behavior in launch vehicle relevant environments

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:$124,000—$186,000 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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