Staff Engineer - Launch Fluids Engineering

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

1d•$150,000 - $226,000

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. 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. You will be solving problems that haven’t been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up. 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. The Launch team operates at the intersection of every major aspect of Terran R, from stages and payloads to ground systems, launch, landing, and refurbishment. This is where first flights happen, where history is built on top of history, and where the scale of what's underway is unlike anything in modern aerospace. The mission stays the same, but the work evolves with every milestone: from first launch to reuse, high-cadence operations, and beyond. This role is responsible for designing, fabricating, operating, and maintaining Terran R's launch pad and support facilities. You will design launch pad propellant and gas infrastructure, including fluid system design, modeling, pipe stress analysis, fabrication drawings, process and instrumentation diagrams, component lists, and detailed work instructions. You will also supervise the construction activation & commissioning and initial operations of these facilities, and solve technically challenging problems across a variety of disciplines under varying programmatic pressures.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical discipline
8+ years of experience in a full cycle design engineering role, including analysis, build and test
Fundamental knowledge of incompressible & compressible flow, heat transfer, and pipe stress
Strong project lifecycle and project management background
Proven track record of technical problem-solving and hands-on hardware build experience
Communication and interpersonal skills to lead discussions on complex technical topics

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated ability to work in high-pressure environments and meet aggressive deadlines
Demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
Experience safely operating complex fluid systems, including high-pressure gas, cryogenic fluids, flammable liquids and gases, and hydraulics
In-depth knowledge of launch vehicle ground support equipment and operations, including cryogenic tanks, pumps, valves, and instrumentation, or related experience
Demonstrated proficiency with ANSYS and other piping analysis software (Caesar, Bentley Autopipe, etc.)
Experience Working with DOD, USAF, and NASA personnel
Demonstrated customer service excellence and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with internal and external teams

Responsibilities

Designing, fabricating, operating, and maintaining Terran R's launch pad and support facilities
Design launch pad propellant and gas infrastructure, including fluid system design, modeling, pipe stress analysis, fabrication drawings, process and instrumentation diagrams, component lists, and detailed work instructions
Supervise the construction activation & commissioning and initial operations of these facilities
Solve technically challenging problems across a variety of disciplines under varying programmatic pressures