Propulsion Engineer II, Engine Base Heatshield

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.

The Propulsion Integrated Design team is seeking a Responsible Engineer to own the design, development, and test of Aeon-R heatshield components. The Aeon-R engines require robust Thermal Protection Systems (TPS)/heatshield hardware to withstand the extreme thermal environments and loads that result from entry, descent, and landing.

In this role, you will be responsible for the design, analysis, integration, and iteration of structural heatshield hardware that is absolutely critical to enabling the survival (and re-use) of Aeon-R engines and Terran R first stages from launch through landing.

As a Responsible Engineer for Aeon-R heatshield hardware, you will:

- Design, analyze, develop, test, and qualify heatshield hardware for multiple engine and flight configurations

- Leverage development testing and flight data to continuously iterate upon hardware

- Analyze and troubleshoot the post-flight conditions of your heatshield hardware to understand its suitability for reuse and to collect insights that drive future improvements

- Partner closely with peer Responsible Engineers across Propulsion and Vehicle orgs to optimize the mechanical interfaces of your hardware

- Collaborate heavily with manufacturing and supply chain to strategize and ramp designs from development to production

- Collaborate heavily with integration to smoothly install your hardware to Aeon-R engines and the Terran R vehicle

- Spend time out on the manufacturing floor to oversee your hardware through builds and to collect valuable feedback from technicians and manufacturing engineers

- Bachelor's degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics field

- 2+ years of experience with the design of structural hardware

- Experience applying fluid, thermal, structural, and mechanical design fundamentals

- Experience using Siemens NX, SOLIDWORKS, or similar CAD software

- Excellent written and oral communication, especially translating technical concepts for non-technical audiences

- Ability to work in a fast paced, autonomously driven, and demanding atmosphere

- Demonstrated drive to deliver on ambitious schedules, especially if unconventional & creative solutions are necessary to do so

- Experience in the design of propulsion components and systems, particularly hardware used in extreme thermal environments

- Experience working on thermal protection systems/heatshields directly

- Experience with all phases of the product lifecycle. From development to qualification to ramping component production and final integration

- Experience with Siemens NX, Teamcenter, and ANSYS Workbench software, specifically

- Familiarity with industry best practices and aerospace standards

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.

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.