Staff Materials & Processes Engineer, Propulsion

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. While our groundbreaking research and development in 3D printing pushes the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing.

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 Materials & NDE Engineering team is responsible for the development, characterization, and inspection of materials across the Terran R launch vehicle. We specialize in rapid implementation of material systems through robust internal testing capabilities and first principles driven qualification approaches. We have recently made our first primary structure barrel, supported introduction of next generation powder additive alloys in the Aeon-R engine, and developed 100% in-cell NDE inspection capabilities for WAAM manufactured hardware.

About the Role: 

• Function as an M&P focal for key Terran-R propulsion and laser powder bed fusion initiatives
• Qualify laser powder bed fusion and associated post-print processes for propulsion activities
• Drive L-PBF part and feature qualification activities
• Develop, implement, and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards
• Drive statistically-driven experimental design and process improvement campaigns
• Interface with:
  • Materials engineering staff to identify, define, and fill technology gaps
  • Laboratory staff to characterize materials and processes
  • Designers to support materials selection, allowables development, and analysis
  • Process/MFG engineering to improve processes, troubleshoot issues and facilitate operations
  • Quality assurance to facilitate specification compliance validation
  • Product engineering to perform failure analysis and root cause and corrective action campaigns
  • Leadership to elevate risks and overcome roadblocks

About You:  

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, or related field
• 8+ years of relevant materials experience
• Experience with general propulsion hardware M&P activities, such as material selection, qualification, and failure analysis
• Experience performing material and part qualifications for laser powder bed fusion systems

Nice to haves, but not required:  

• Targeted experience with titanium alloy systems
• Metallic additive processes (e.g. Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), Laser Powder Direct Energy Deposition (LP-DED), etc)
• General experience with Ni-based superalloys, refractories, and copper alloy systems
• Knowledge of surface modification processes and coatings relevant to propulsion applications
• Solid background in statistical experimental design and design allowable calculation methodology
• A strong 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
• Leveling is flexible – please see other posting levels for expectations

At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation practices. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, q