Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Structures

Relativity Space
Long Beach, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Geared toward experienced manufacturing engineers comfortable with cross-functional collaboration and process development for aerospace structures.

Best fit for

  • Experienced engineers with a background in aerospace manufacturing and process development
    — “hands-on history supporting complex assembly builds”
  • Candidates who can influence rocket design through manufacturing feedback
    — “Provide Design for Manufacturing feedback to structures teams”
  • Individuals who thrive in a startup-like environment with high autonomy and impact
    — “you're solving problems that haven’t been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up”

Things to consider

  • The role demands a high level of independence and decision-making authority
    — “clearing barriers and keeping production moving”
  • Candidates must be prepared to work across multiple teams and disciplines
    — “you will get to work across many teams to iterate and support development”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with aerospace product drill and fastening operations
    — “Direct experience with drill, trim, and fastening operations on aerospace products”
  • Demonstrate a history of standardizing high-fidelity manufacturing processes
    — “Write work instructions, specifications, and best practices for high-fidelity processes”
  • Showcase ability to interface with design and reliability engineers effectively
    — “Partner with design, manufacturing, and reliability engineers”
  • Emphasize prior success in new product introduction into aerospace manufacturing
    — “New product introduction of an aerospace hardware system into manufacturing, test, and production, with proven success”
  • Demonstrate strong fundamentals in statics and mechanics of materials
    — “Strong fundamentals in statics, mechanics of materials”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

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

What success looks like

  • successful manufacturing process development
  • optimized factory layout
Typical background
manufacturing experienceaerospace engineering

Skills & requirements

Required

Manufacturing ProcessesProcess ImprovementTeam CollaborationWork InstructionsGD&T

Preferred

Aerospace ExperienceProject Management

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 Manufacturing team at Relativity Space is currently deep in manufacturing trades and process development for Terran R, our next generation, fully re-useable rocket. This team has a wide variety of responsibilities—from determining the most efficient factory floor layout, to developing and implementing complex tooling and processes, and even interfacing with the vehicle engineering team to heavily influence the design of the rocket. Unique to Relativity, you will get to work across many teams to iterate and support development of the vehicle program.

About the Role:

Own the shop floor for one or more primary structure assembly work centers, clearing barriers and keeping production moving

Champion process improvements across work centers, incorporating learnings from the first Terran R build

Partner with design, manufacturing, and reliability engineers, production teams, and outside vendors to drive builds forward

Write work instructions, specifications, and best practices for high-fidelity processes, and standardize them across the manufacturing team

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

About You:

Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, aerospace, mechanical, or another engineering discipline

8+ years related experience

Hands-on history supporting complex assembly builds, including making risk calls to disposition issues and keep production moving

Strong fundamentals in statics, mechanics of materials, process improvement and factory design, fastening and joining, and machining

Working knowledge of drilling and trim ops, tooling, inspection methods, and GD&T

Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work across engineering and manufacturing to understand process constraints and feed back manufacturability inputs

Self-motivated, able to prioritize and execute in a high-pressure environment

Nice to have, but not required:

Direct experience with drill, trim, and fastening operations on aerospace products

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

Project management experience 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:$143,000—$215,000 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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