Senior Materials & Processes Engineer, Thermal Protection Systems & Soft Goods

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

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 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 cognizant M&P engineer of thermal protection systems and non-metallic softgoods for Terran-R flight and reuse 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 formulations, 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

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, chemistry, or related field
5+ years of experience relevant to the competencies listed below
Experience with general M&P activities, such as 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

Demonstrated ownership and impact of non-metallic materials and their application to aerospace products, such as: Corks, foams, ceramics, and related thermal protection materials
Primers, paints, and coatings for corrosion, thermal, and electrical applications
Potting, staking, and conformal coats
Elastomeric gaskets and seals
Polymer-base material systems for non-structural and structural applications
Dry film lubricants and greases
Understanding of cryogenic and high temperature non-metallic material behavior
Prior work with non-metallic testing standards and procedures
Familiarity with contamination control and outgassing principles

Responsibilities

Be the cognizant M&P engineer of thermal protection systems and non-metallic softgoods for Terran-R flight and reuse
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
Interface with Laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes
Interface with Responsible Engineers to support materials selection, design and analysis, qualification, failure analysis, flight, and reuse
Interface with Manufacturing and TPS engineers to develop formulations, processes, troubleshoot issues, and enable cost & rate while maintaining required performance
Interface with Build reliability and supply chain to ensure compliance and reliability
Interface with Relativity + Customer Fracture Control Boards to achieve vehicle reuse
Interface with Leadership to develop technical roadmaps, elevate risks, and overcome roadblocks