Lead, Propulsion Analyst

Posted Yesterday
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Long Beach, CA, USA
In-Office
136K-187K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Hardware • Robotics • Software • Manufacturing
Building reusable rockets to empower science and exploration.
The Role
Lead a team of analysts in the thermal, structural, and dynamic analysis of integrated design hardware for rocket engines, ensuring design meets reliability and performance standards.
Summary Generated by Built In

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 Propulsion team at Relativity is focused on developing and delivering highly performant and manufacturable engines for Terran R. Engineers are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their parts, from initial design through production to qualification and flight. The team fosters a culture of bottoms-up decision-making, free from technical gatekeeping, where ownership and accountability are key at all levels. But designing engines with a quarter million pounds of thrust is just the beginning. As the flight configuration enters qualification, the team is now exploring modifications for future engines, including thrust upgrades, new cycles, and design for mass production.

About the Role

You will lead a team of analysts that is responsible for the analysis of integrated design hardware, which consists of things like the Aeon R engine's gimbal, bellows, flex hoses, propellant ducts, manifolds, primary structure, secondary structure, tubing, etc. Additionally, your team will own generating interface loads via engine assembly FEA models that drive the sizing of hardware across the entire engine. You will also be a key voice in conversations pertaining to best practices for analysis approaches, acceptable design factors, material allowables, etc. This role will require managing a small team, requiring strong mentorship, project management, establishing priorities, communicating with leadership, providing technical guidance, and recruiting. Close collaboration with stakeholders within Propulsion Engineering (Combustion Devices, Turbomachinery, and Components) and external to Propulsion Engineering (Materials, Design Criteria) is essential. To be successful in this role, you should be someone who thrives in ambiguity and knows how to lead (and guide) projects to completion. 

You and your team will be:

  • Responsible for the thermal, structural, dynamic, and durability (fatigue/fracture) analyses on Aeon-R engines and subsystems, to guide design decisions and ensure reliability and performance requirements are met
  • Responsible for the analysis of 3D-printed engine components, complex mechanical assemblies, and/or the structural integrity of the fully integrated engine assembly
  • Work hand-in-hand with mechanical designers and manufacturing engineers to arrive at optimal solutions for the engine and vehicle programs
  • Develop and execute tests to support development and qualification, including hands-on work like test article integration, instrumentation setup, and data processing

About You

  • Bachelor's degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
  • 5+ years of relevant analysis experience, preferably with complex engineering systems
  • Experience in mentoring and demonstrated leadership skills
  • Experience with Finite Element Analysis Experience with computer aided design (CAD) software
  • Detail-oriented, organized, and able to follow through Strong drive to deliver on ambitious schedule

Nice to haves, but not required:

  • Experience in leading high performing teams 
  • Experience with design of liquid propulsion components and systems
  • Experience with Siemens NX, Teamcenter, and ANSYS workbench
  • Familiarity with industry best practices
  • Familiarity with aerospace standards

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.
Compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To see some of the benefits & perks we offer, please visit here.

Hiring Range:
$136,000$187,000 USD

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.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at [email protected].


Skills Required

  • Bachelor's degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field
  • 5+ years of relevant analysis experience with complex engineering systems
  • Experience in mentoring and demonstrated leadership skills
  • Experience with Finite Element Analysis and CAD software
  • Detail-oriented, organized, and able to follow through

Relativity Space Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Healthcare Strength The company offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, company-funded HSA contributions, mental-health resources, and access to One Medical and an EAP. Wellness supports like a stipend and gym discounts reinforce the breadth of care.
  • Parental & Family Support Generous parental leave is paired with a $10,000 family-building stipend for fertility and adoption, with mentions of a Carrot Fertility partnership. This combination indicates meaningful support across different family needs.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth The stated policy includes 15 PTO days per year with separate sick-time accruals, 11 company holidays, and 2 personal-choice holidays. This structure provides multiple avenues for planned and unplanned time away.

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The Company
HQ: Long Beach, CA
2,200 Employees
Year Founded: 2016

What We Do

Relativity Space is on a mission to better connect humanity to space and the universe beyond our planet. Our medium-to-heavy lift reusable rocket, Terran R, 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.

Why Work With Us

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.

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Relativity Space Offices

OnSite Workspace

At Relativity Space, we are an office-first company. We believe our best work happens in person—where collaboration is faster, problem-solving is sharper, and ideas flow more freely.

Typical time on-site: None
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HQThe Wormhole
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Launch Complex 16
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NASA Stennis Space Center
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Kent, WA
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Washington, DC
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