Manager, Manufacturing Quality and Materials

Posted 3 Hours Ago
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Long Beach, CA, USA
In-Office
150K-224K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Hardware • Robotics • Software • Manufacturing
Building reusable rockets to empower science and exploration.
The Role
Leads multidisciplinary Manufacturing, Quality, and Materials & Process Engineering teams. Develops robust manufacturing workflows, process controls, documentation, inspection, and acceptance criteria to deliver conforming products. Partners with engineering, operations, program management, and design teams to translate customer and technical requirements into repeatable processes. Drives systemic problem-solving, process capability, qualification, continuous improvement, and technical accountability across advanced aerospace manufacturing operations.
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: 

Relativity Space pioneered large-scale additive manufacturing with our Terran 1 rocket, the largest 3D-printed object to fly. Now a distinct business unit within Relativity, Horizon Manufacturing Technologies is advancing next-generation manufacturing for aerospace and beyond. The team operates at the frontier of manufacturing innovation, where creativity meets capability. This is an environment where cutting-edge R&D is put into production, industrializing advanced manufacturing capabilities to solve customer problems. As member of the Horizon’s Robotics Team, you’ll work alongside welders, data scientists, and material scientists, creating an end-to-end additive manufacturing platform that serves a wide variety of applications. From exploring new materials to unlocking faster print speeds, to designing complex, organic geometries that can’t be built any other way, it’s high-impact work that sets the foundation for the future of advanced manufacturing.

About the Role:

  • Lead a multidisciplinary team of Manufacturing, Quality and Materials & Process Engineers building a culture of technical ownership, systemic problem-solving and  accountability for delivering high-quality, conforming products.
  • Ensure the team has the technical capability, clarity, tools and ownership necessary to make sound decisions and successfully execute against product and customer requirements.
  • Lead the development and implementation of robust, end-to-end manufacturing processes that translate customer and engineering requirements into repeatable workflows with appropriate process controls, documentation, inspection, and acceptance criteria.
  • Ensure manufacturing processes, material performance, and quality controls provide the technical confidence necessary to consistently deliver products that meet customer and quality requirements.
  • Partner across Program Management, Design Engineering, Operations, and other functions to ensure technical decisions support success, on-time product delivery

About You:

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field, with 7+ years experience in complex manufacturing environments.
  • Demonstrated experience leading and developing multidisciplinary engineering teams, with the ability to establish clear ownership, accountability, and technical direction.
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing process development, process control, process capability, qualification, and continuous improvement.
  • Experience translating engineering, customer, and quality requirements into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes that consistently produce conforming hardware.
  • Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to identify systemic issues, reduce process variation, and build scalable solutions rather than relying on reactive problem-solving.
  • Ability to lead cross-functionally across Manufacturing, Quality, Materials, Design, Operations, and Program teams to drive technical decisions and deliver results.

Nice to haves but not required:  

  • Experience with additive manufacturing, welding, directed energy deposition, or other advanced manufacturing technologies.
  • Experience with metallic materials, material characterization, mechanical testing, metallurgy, or process qualification.
  • Experience developing manufacturing processes from early technology development through qualification and production.
  • Experience with statistical process control, process capability analysis, PFMEA, control plans, and other manufacturing risk-management methodologies.

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:
$150,000—$224,000 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].

Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.

Skills Required

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field
  • 7+ years of experience in complex manufacturing environments
  • Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary engineering teams
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing process development, process control, process capability, process qualification, and continuous improvement
  • Experience translating engineering, customer, and quality requirements into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes
  • Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving skills, including reducing process variation and developing scalable solutions
  • Ability to lead cross-functionally across Manufacturing, Quality, Materials, Design, Operations, and Program teams
  • Experience with additive manufacturing, welding, directed energy deposition, or other advanced manufacturing technologies
  • Experience with metallic materials, material characterization, mechanical testing, metallurgy, or process qualification
  • Experience developing manufacturing processes from technology development through qualification and production
  • Experience with statistical process control, process capability analysis, PFMEA, control plans, and manufacturing risk-management methodologies

Relativity Space Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is presented as comprehensive, including medical, dental, and vision, with company‑funded HSA contributions and mental‑health resources. Access to services like One Medical and strong core insurance are highlighted as standouts.
  • Parental & Family Support — Family-building support includes generous parental leave and a $10,000 stipend for fertility, adoption, and related needs. These programs are repeatedly highlighted as meaningful benefits.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off includes PTO, sick‑time accruals, 11 company holidays, and personal‑choice holidays. The overall allotment is often characterized as generous.

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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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