Thermal Engineer I

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

10d•$90,000 - $136,000

About The Position

Relativity Space is hiring a Thermal Engineer I to support the development of its Terran R launch vehicle. The role is part of the Integrated Performance organization, whose teams ensure products work across systems and disciplines and engineer vehicles and ground systems for launch and entry environments. The Thermal team predicts temperatures, designs thermal architectures, and guides the design of structures, fluids, components, and avionics. It uses thermodynamic fundamentals, heat-transfer methods, hand calculations, reduced-order models, and detailed coupled-system thermal modeling to address ground and flight thermal challenges. In this role, you will develop thermal systems and analyses, guide engineering teams in applying thermal sciences, and conduct testing to support development and qualification. You will also support vehicle and engine thermal-system development, stage testing, and flight operations. The hiring range is $90,000–$136,000 USD, with actual compensation determined by experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors. Relativity Space also offers competitive salary and equity, PTO and sick leave, parental leave, and an annual learning and development stipend.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field.
Experience in industry through internships or university collaborations.
Strong fundamentals in heat transfer and thermal analysis.
Hands-on experience writing test plans and performing testing, instrumentation, and data analysis at component and system levels.
Experience with an engineering scripting language such as MATLAB or Python.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in engineering or a related field.
Experience solving complex problems on integrated vehicles with design teams.
Experience in component- and system-level thermal and fluids analysis using relevant tools such as Sinda/Fluint, Thermal Desktop, or other commercial FEM/FDM/FVM solvers.
Familiarity with cryogenic liquid rocket stage architecture, engine architecture, and operations.
Understanding of aerodynamics and external flight-related heating, including thermal protection system materials and sizing.

Responsibilities

Drive the architecture, sizing, and development of thermal systems such as insulation, heaters, thermal protection, and environmental conditioning in collaboration with peer technical teams.
Build, execute, and validate thermal analyses at component, subsystem, and vehicle levels, including supporting tool development and automation.
Guide design and development engineers in applying thermal sciences to meet system and component requirements.
Develop and execute tests for thermal systems development and qualification, including test-article integration, instrumentation setup, and data processing.
Support vehicle and engine thermal-system development and stage testing, as well as flight operations.