Senior Fluids Subassemblies Manufacturing Engineer
Long Beach, California
Company Overview:
At Relativity Space, we have two audacious goals: to build the next great commercial launch company with Terran R and to become America's leading force in additive manufacturing innovation. Both contribute to our long-term vision of creating humanity’s industrial base on Mars, paving the way for interplanetary life to expand the possibilities of the human experience. This journey begins right here on Earth – where we design, build, and fly rockets to deliver customer payloads to orbit. Terran R, our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, fulfills the growing demand for launch capacity, thanks to our iterative approach that accelerates design, testing, and development while minimizing costs.
Your journey with us is more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to shape the future of aerospace technology, additive manufacturing, and the human experience alongside a community of passionate, creative individuals. Join us on this extraordinary journey, as we work together to transform our vision into reality.
About the Team:
The Manufacturing team at Relativity Space is currently deep in manufacturing trades and process development for Terran R, our next generation rocket. This team has a wide variety of responsibilities—from determining the most efficient factory floor layout, to developing and implementing complex tooling and processes, and even interfacing with the vehicle engineering team to heavily influence the design of the rocket.
Overall, this team is critical to the development and initial builds of Terran R. To meet its goals, the team will drive products from design concept, through prototype and initial builds, through functional acceptance testing, and ensure successful integration onto the Terran R vehicle.
About the Role:
The Tube Manufacturing team is responsible for working alongside the vehicle design and test teams to develop hardware that enables Terran R reusability, working in a variety of processes to manufacture fluids systems hardware for the vehicle. The team is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to own the following scope:
- Advocate for scalable manufacturing in product design trades and reviews.
- Build flow planning, large-volume part logistics, tooling design, conceptualizing & sourcing, fast-paced issue dispositions, and complex mechanical assembly work planning and execution.
- Conceptualize, develop, and manufacture innovative, cutting-edge tube bending and welding cells capable of meeting the demanding needs for the Aeon R and Terran R programs.
- Drive the assembly’s first build and test effort through design integration, assembly sequencing, mBOM development, build and test work order creation, and specification authoring.
- Foster a culture of critical thinking and imaginative problem-solving, constantly challenging the established norms in engineering and manufacturing.
- Collaborate closely with a diverse team of engineers specializing in design, manufacturing, and reliability, as well as internal production teams and external vendors.
- Demonstrate ingenuity and autonomy by introducing groundbreaking ideas and implementing them with utmost attention to safety, quality, and reliability.
- Create innovative tooling solutions for both new and existing products, streamlining production to support increased output while reducing operational complexity.
- Establish and enforce standard practices, troubleshooting guides, and standardized repair procedures, with a key responsibility of reviewing and approving planning documents.
- Facilitate seamless day-to-day production of bent, OTW, and manually welded tubing, ensuring optimal efficiency and adherence to quality standards.
- Challenge existing production and design requirements for tubing assemblies, utilizing data-driven insights to identify and eliminate wasteful practices.
- Streamline and optimize existing production systems, proactively identifying areas for cost reduction while enhancing overall quality and efficiency.
About You:
- Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace, mechanical, industrial, or manufacturing engineering.
- 5+ years of experience building and testing hardware in a manufacturing environment.
- Extensive experience authoring work instructions and/or test procedures to build and validate mechanical and fluid assemblies.
- Experience interfacing with design engineering, manufacturing, and production personnel.
- Extensive experience managing large scope of ownership.
- Experience with at least three of the following: orbital tube welding (OTW), tube bending, TIG welding, metallic fabrication, assembly procedures, precision cleaning, pressure testing, non-destructive testing/evaluation, and tooling design.
Nice to haves but not required:
- Self-starter that has demonstrated the ability to define and own a process from scratch and roll out that process through adept communication to a diverse team.
- New product introduction of an aerospace hardware system into a manufacturing, test, and production system with proven success.
- Working knowledge of rocket subsystems including structures, mechanisms, high pressure gas systems, and/or avionics.
- Strong understanding GD&T and drafting principles.
- Working knowledge of typical manufacturing execution systems and quality management systems.
- Process development, factory layouts, and production line planning.
- Experience in capacity analyses, DFMEA/PFMEA, value stream mapping.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation practices. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.
Hiring Range:
$130,000 - $166,000 USD