Science Payload Responsible Engineer/Scientist

Relativity Space • Long Beach, CA

1d

About The Position

We are seeking a driven science payload manager to lead the delivery, integration, and operations support for a science instrument suite. This is a highly technical role for a leader who combines deep technical and scientific competency, is confident in making risk-based decisions, and has a sense of personal ownership over the success of the instrument from build phase through on-orbit operations. In this role you will serve as the responsible engineer for working with our partners to ensure the delivered instruments meet or exceed the desired science capability, and proceed smoothly and efficiently through environmental testing, spacecraft integration, commissioning, and in-space operations. This role requires you to understand the science and the engineering, manage risk proactively, make hard decisions under uncertainty, own the outcomes, communicate clearly to multiple stakeholders, and care deeply about the science results. You will need to understand the engineering systems and be an advocate for how they should be designed to support and enable collecting exceptional science on this and future missions. You will operate as part of a fast-moving, lean, multi-disciplinary team driven by mission success.

Requirements

• Master's degree in planetary science, engineering, physics, or a related technical discipline
• 3+ years experience in science research
• 3+ years experience working on a spacecraft payload through multiple phases (e.g., some combination of formulation, build, testing, integration, on-spacecraft testing, commissioning, operations)
• Relentless curiosity and a desire to understand and optimize systems
• Familiarity with Earth and planetary science missions and the unique constraints on instruments (power, mass, thermal, data rate, radiation)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience with planetary science instruments
• This position may require occasional travel to partner institutions, test facilities, and mission integration sites (<10% time). During critical mission phases including launch, commissioning, and early operations this position will require shift work and on-call availability.

Benefits

• Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level