Relativity Space
Combustion Devices - Propulsion Analyst I, Thermal
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 propulsion team at Relativity is responsible for the successful development of the engines that will power the Terran R vehicle. We own their design from concept through to launch and reuse. Our team partners heavily with manufacturing, test, launch, and integration teams, striving to develop our engines in record time and to support Terran R's first launch in 2026. As part of this team, you will help build, test, and iterate on the full product lifecycle of our Aeon-R engine systems, seeing them mature and eventually bring Terran R into space.
About the Role:
In his role you’ll directly contribute to the design and qualification of the Aeon-R combustion devices hardware, from concept to detailed design and test. Your responsibilities will include performing, documenting, presenting thermal-structural and/or thermal-fluid analyses, and suggesting design changes for engine hardware ranging from injectors and thrust chambers to igniters. You’ll anchor your models to test data and work closely with
designers to inform design paths and validate requirement compliance. This scope will involve single-component modeling as well as the development of large-scale assembly models for quantifying subsystem interactions. To be successful in this role, you should have a strong understanding of fundamental physics and how to apply them to new, interesting problems. You should be someone who thrives in ambiguity and be capable of leading collaborative projects to completion. You will have the opportunity to have a significant influence on major engine hardware and to make rapid professional gains in an environment that encourages growth and risk.
About you:
- Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field
- Experience with analytical tools such as ANSYS Mechanical, Thermal Desktop, ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+, or similar
- Experience applying engineering first principles thermodynamic, heat transfer, and fluid flow first principles
- Experience communicating and explaining complex technical information to teammates and leadership
Nice to haves, but not required:
- Graduate degree in a science or engineering field
- A strong commitment to accountability, collaboration, and execution
- An authentic, introspective, and inclusive mindset towards technical, interpersonal, and team growth & development
- Relevant experience in a rocket engine development and/or test environment
- Working knowledge of engine subsystems, such as combustion devices
- Knowledge of structural failure mechanisms, and fatigue and fracture mechanics
- Experience interfacing with manufacturing and production personnel to produce high-quality manufacturable hardware
- Experience working with powder bed additive manufacturing and automation techniques
- We believe varied perspectives & backgrounds strengthen our team. Prior experience in aerospace is not required
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:
$97,000—$124,300 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.
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