Relativity Space
Senior Materials & Processes Engineer, Thermal Protection Systems & Soft Goods
$124K–$186K
Long Beach, California, United States · Senior · Full-time · Posted Sep 30, 2026
- Experience
- 5+ years of experience relevant to the listed competencies; leveling is flexible.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, chemistry, or a related field.
About the job
Own materials and processes engineering for Terran R thermal protection systems and non-metallic soft goods, supporting flight qualification, manufacturing, and vehicle reuse.
What you'll do
- Define qualification envelopes, test plans, and characterization campaigns; analyze results for flight qualification and usage.
- Develop and maintain technical specifications and engineering standards, and lead statistically driven experimentation and process improvement.
- Partner across materials, laboratory, design, manufacturing, reliability, supply chain, and leadership teams to support material selection, qualification, troubleshooting, and reuse.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s degree in materials science or engineering, chemistry, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience relevant to the listed competencies.
- Experience with general materials and processes activities, including material selection, process development, qualification, damage tolerance, inspections, risk assessments, and failure analysis.
Nice to have
- Ownership and impact with non-metallic materials applied to aerospace products, such as thermal protection materials, coatings, polymers, or seals.
- Understanding of cryogenic and high-temperature non-metallic material behavior; familiarity with non-metallic testing standards, contamination control, or outgassing.
Pay
$124,000 — $186,000 USD (base salary)
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative