Senior Structures Test Engineer
Relativity Space is hiring a Senior Structures Test Engineer in Long Beach to own structural test infrastructure for its Terran R rocket — designing and analyzing static/dynamic test stands and pressure systems, then fabricating, commissioning, and operating them with hands-on hardware work. Core skills: structural analysis, 3D CAD with GD&T, FEA (NASTRAN/ANSYS).
- Compensation
- $124K–$186K / yr
- Location
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Qa
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering field
- 5+ years of professional experience designing, analyzing, fabricating, commissioning, or operating mechanical, structural, or test systems
- Experience applying engineering principles throughout the design lifecycle, from requirements through operation of physical hardware
- Experience with 3D modeling and engineering drafting, including GD&T
- Experience collaborating across multiple engineering disciplines
- Working knowledge of structural analysis and test, from hand calculations to advanced analysis
- Fundamental knowledge of structures strength, stability and fatigue failure mechanisms, and additive and traditional manufacturing processes
Nice to have
- Experience across structural engineering and fluid systems (test stands, hydraulic, pneumatic, cryogenic, pressure, or process fluid systems)
- Experience with ASME B31.3, ASME BPVC, or similar codes and standards for pressure systems or process piping
- Experience with advanced finite element analysis, including nonlinear or dynamic loading, using NASTRAN, ANSYS, or similar tools
- Hands-on experience with welding, machining, metalworking, hydraulics, piping, manufacturing, commissioning, or test operations
- Experience developing engineering standards, design practices, technical review processes, or automated engineering workflows using Python, VBA, or similar tools
- Experience supporting multidisciplinary engineering projects and test operations in manufacturing, factory, laboratory, or industrial environments, including elevated work areas, confined spaces, or o
Full description
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 Factory Test team is responsible for a variety of hazardous testing equipment and operations in our Long Beach facilities. We use our breadth of experience and collaborative engineering approach to support everything from very large structural tests to precise valve actuation and complex fluid systems. To that end, we design, build, and operate test assets from initial concept through commissioning and test execution. If you enjoy working on a multi-disciplinary team with a broad mandate, solving challenging engineering problems, and putting your hands on hardware, then this is the team for you.
About the Role:
As a Senior Structures Test Engineer, you will apply your technical and project ownership experience for the design, development, and implementation of integrated test infrastructure supporting structural systems. Based in Long Beach, you will own projects across the full engineering lifecycle, from requirements development and design through fabrication, installation, commissioning, and operation.
- Own the design and analysis of static and/or dynamic test stands, supporting structures, pressure systems, and associated mechanical hardware.
- Develop requirements, system architectures, engineering drawings, technical approaches, and documentation required for fabrication, installation, procurement, and commissioning.
- Review technical work and identify and address structural and operational hazards to ensure designs meet applicable requirements, engineering standards, and safety considerations.
- Support assembly, installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and operation of test infrastructure, including hands-on work with hardware in factory and test environments. Work may involve elevated work areas, confined spaces, industrial environments, and outdoor conditions.