Software Development Engineer in Test I
Entry-level SDET on the TRADE team at Relativity Space, executing well-defined testing and release tasks for Terran R rocket flight software under senior-engineer mentorship. Day to day involves writing Python automation for release validation and artifact handling, supporting Run-for-Record campaigns, and coordinating with developers, systems engineers, and test operators.
- Compensation
- $102K–$154K / yr
- Location
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Junior
- Employment
- Internship
- Experience
- 0+ years
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 0-1 years of professional experience; new grads welcome
- Basic Python scripting ability (coursework, personal projects, internships, or professional)
- Basic awareness of CI/CD concepts and workflows
- Eagerness to learn software release and test engineering processes, following established procedures closely
- Strong attention to detail and documentation habits
- Good communication skills and ability to work well with guidance from senior team members
- Comfort working under deadlines while being precise and thorough
Nice to have
- Internship, co-op, or academic project experience in software, systems, or test engineering
- Exposure to aerospace, launch vehicle, or other high-reliability/safety-critical systems
- Familiarity with Conda, GitLab CI/CD, Git/version control practices, or artifact repositories
- Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing, simulation environments, or systems integration
- Interest in or early experience with data analysis, root cause investigation, or quality/release audits
- Coursework or interest in electrical, systems, or software engineering applied to physical/hardware systems
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:
Relativity Space is on a mission to better connect humanity to space and the universe beyond our planet. With decades of experience scaling world-class technology organizations like Google, CEO Eric Schmidt is guiding Relativity into its next phase: advancing Terran R toward launch and building the foundation for long-term impact.
The Vehicle Software team develops the safety-critical software that runs on Terran R. The work spans a distributed, real-time control system operating under extreme conditions like Mach 5 atmospheric flight, with a deployment pace that allows you to see your code run on rocket engines daily. The team is building new system architecture from the ground up and just as importantly, testing, releasing, and deploying it. You don’t need an aerospace background: what matters is experience with high-reliability software for complex systems. This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundation of Terran R’s software stack while directly influencing performance, reliability, and flight success.
About the Role:
As a Software Development Engineer in Test I on the TRADE team, you'll execute well-defined testing and release tasks under the guidance of senior engineers, building the skills to take on greater release ownership over time.
You'll write and maintain Python automation for release workflows, validation steps, and artifact management, starting with smaller, well-scoped scripts and tasks, with mentorship from staff engineers as you grow.
This role is hands-on and detail-oriented. You'll follow established procedures to validate and help publish release candidates, support Run-for-Record campaigns, and coordinate directly with developers, systems engineers, test operators, and integration teams on smaller-scope items, while senior engineers lead broader cross-team alignment.