Manufacturing Test Engineer I, Mechanisms
Relativity Space
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 Stage Manufacturing team turns design into reality, owning the build of Terran R’s primary structures. This isn’t about turning the same bolt every day; it’s about building the systems to build the rocket. Engineers and technicians work side by side, with deep collaboration and real-time feedback, to shape how we build better and faster. With a manifest and a launch date, it’s up to the team to deliver on Terran R: solving challenges in real time, optimizing for scale, and constantly improving processes. As the vehicle evolves, so will the factory, with opportunities to apply automation, machine learning, and advanced technologies. What we build here sets the blueprint for the future of scaled launch.
About the Role:
- Support development of new test assets, processes and/or modifying existing ones across mechanical, electrical and pneumatic systems. This involves working closely with design and manufacturing partners to ensure the successful execution of mechanism production testing campaigns that are both efficient and scalable over time.
- Drive mechanism assembly’s test effort through design integration, test equipment/tooling sourcing or design, test sequencing, mBOM development, test work order creation, test training and specification authoring.
- Support workcenter development by considering assembly and test operations, safety, tooling and capital equipment requirements, and company operational goals.
- Provide hands-on support to the shop floor and production personnel, promptly addressing any test issues that arise and offering upstream feedback to drive design for manufacturability, testability or reparability.
- Analyze data to evaluate assembly performance and disposition recurring testing discrepancies and support multi-disciplinary teams on root cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Foster strong collaborative relationships with design, production, supply chain and quality assurance, facilitating effective communication and coordination to ensure alignment with company objectives and successful execution of manufacturing and test processes.
About You:
- BS degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, manufacturing engineering or other related discipline with 1+ years of experience building and testing hardware in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience authoring test procedures to build and validate mechanical, electrical and pneumatic assemblies.
- Experience partnering with design engineering, manufacturing, and production personnel to execute test procedures and support test failure & anomaly investigations.
- Experience designing, managing and implementing new test systems and/or test improvements with large scope of ownership.
- Demonstrated knowledge of safety standards, common test hazards and appropriate mitigations.
- Experience with at least 2 of the following:
- Electromechanical or pneumatic assembly, electrical or pneumatic functional checkouts, integrated testing, leak checking, sensor checkouts, high voltage systems (320V+), high pressure pneumatic systems, instrumentation & sensor setup
Nice to haves but not required:
- A proactive self-starter with a proven track record of defining and implementing testing processes, driving execution across diverse teams, and successfully managing and delivering testing projects in fast-paced, production-driven environments.
- Working knowledge of rocket subsystems, including structures, mechanisms, high-pressure gas systems, and avionics, with experience in planning and conducting hazardous operations for aerospace hardware systems.
- Familiarity with industry test stands: e.g., SMC-S-016, MIL-STD-1540D, MIL-STD-810G.
- Experience with test automation, data acquisitions and control systems, Electrical Test Equipment (e.g.: oscilloscopes, multimeters etc.), Pressure Test Equipment (e.g.: pressure regulators, flow meter)
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.
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.