Lead Avionics Test Systems Engineer, Ground Systems

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

22h

About The Position

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 Avionics team is responsible for the full lifecycle of Terran R’s nervous system, designing, building, testing, installing, and operating the hardware that connects and controls every major electrical system on the vehicle and ground. The team’s structure intentionally combines avionics design, manufacturing, and test to enable rapid iteration and feedback loops. Engineers are deeply embedded into other functions within Relativity, working closely with propulsion, GNC, fluids, and stage engineering teams to ensure seamless integration and operation. Now is a unique time to join: you’ll get to help shape Terran R's fundamental avionics architecture and be given a high degree of ownership on components that will fly. About the Role: As an Lead Avionics Test Systems Engineer, Ground Systems you will: Lead design, development, build, and integrate critical ground systems that support engine test, vehicle integration, and launch operations Collaborate cross-functionally with vehicle, propulsion, avionics, software, test, and operations teams to deliver robust, scalable systems on tight timelines Oversee fabrication, bring-up, and validation of test systems, including electrical testing, calibration, and functional checks Author interface control documents (ICDs) and engineering release drawings to ensure tight alignment between electrical ground support equipment and flight/avionics hardware Work closely with safety, operations, and launch teams to ensure systems are compliant and operable under high-stakes conditions

Requirements

Undergraduate or graduate degree (BS/MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
5+ years of hands-on experience designing and deploying test systems or electrical integration systems in aerospace or high-reliability environments
Expert knowledge of electrical signal integrity, grounding schemes, shielding, and power systems
Hands-on experience designing, building, and commissioning electrical power and communication ground systems
Experience with common communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, RS-422, CAN, MIL-STD-1553) and ground systems standards (ASME, API, and NASA/AF)
Experience with data acquisition and safety control system platforms such as NI, Beckhoff, or similar

Nice To Haves

Experience with wire harness design tools such as Zuken
Experience with CAD tools such as NX and Teamcenter
Familiarity with a PCB design modeling tool such as Altium Designer
Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python or MATLAB for data acquisition/recording and analysis
Experience with Linux configuration management and ethernet networking
Familiarity with data acquisition and control system platforms such as NI, Beckhoff, or similar

Responsibilities

Lead design, development, build, and integrate critical ground systems that support engine test, vehicle integration, and launch operations
Collaborate cross-functionally with vehicle, propulsion, avionics, software, test, and operations teams to deliver robust, scalable systems on tight timelines
Oversee fabrication, bring-up, and validation of test systems, including electrical testing, calibration, and functional checks
Author interface control documents (ICDs) and engineering release drawings to ensure tight alignment between electrical ground support equipment and flight/avionics hardware
Work closely with safety, operations, and launch teams to ensure systems are compliant and operable under high-stakes conditions