Senior Avionics Mechanical Engineer

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

2d•$129,000 - $193,000

About The Position

Relativity Space is building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Their Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launch capacity. Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. This role is within the Interplanetary Sciences Program, which was established to expand access to scientific exploration across our solar system. Its mission is to make planetary research faster, more affordable, and more capable than ever before by rethinking how science missions are designed, built, and operated. The program aims to enable scientists to send instruments to distant worlds without decades of development or prohibitive costs. As a Senior Avionics Mechanical Engineer, you will own the design, development, and delivery of all mechanical hardware supporting our next-generation space science avionics platforms. This includes enclosures, mounting structures, thermal accommodations, and interfaces to spacecraft systems. You will be responsible for ensuring the delivered Avionics can survive launch and space environments, and for solving complex thermal and structural challenges in tight, mass-efficient packaging. This is a hands-on role for a self-driven engineer who thrives in a fast-paced, prototype-heavy environment. You’ll work from first principles to rapidly iterate on designs, perform analysis and testing, and lead the delivery of flight-ready avionics mechanical systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
5+ years of experience in mechanical design, packaging, or thermal management for aerospace or ruggedized electronic systems
Proven ability to deliver mechanical systems from concept through qualification and flight
Proficiency with CAD (SolidWorks, NX, or equivalent) and analysis tools for structural and thermal performance
Hands-on experience building, testing, and debugging hardware in a lab environment
Strong communication skills and comfort working cross-functionally in a fast-paced, rapidly iterating team environment

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with NASA or other spaceflight structural verification standards, environmental testing and qualification
Experience designing mechanical systems for spaceflight avionics or payloads
Experience with high-density electronics cooling (conduction, heat pipes, cold plates)
Knowledge of materials and processes for vacuum and radiation environments

Responsibilities

Own the design, development, and delivery of all mechanical hardware supporting next-generation space science avionics platforms, including enclosures, mounting structures, thermal accommodations, and interfaces to spacecraft systems.
Ensure delivered Avionics can survive launch and space environments.
Solve complex thermal and structural challenges in tight, mass-efficient packaging.
Rapidly iterate on designs from first principles.
Perform analysis and testing.
Lead the delivery of flight-ready avionics mechanical systems.