Real job — pulled straight from Relativity Space’s careers page · Verified July 13, 2026 · No reposts.
Job description
Relativity Space is hiring a Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer — a full-time, based in Long Beach, CA role ($132k–$198k). Apply directly on Relativity Space's careers page below.
Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer
Location: Long Beach, California
Department: Vehicle Systems Engineering
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 Systems Engineering team ensures that Terran R comes together as a cohesive, high-performing, and scalable system. Within the department, one team focuses on building tools and processes to manage requirements, track decisions, and identify and mitigate risk - enabling faster, more informed development across the program. Engineers work across domains to understand complex problems, identify solutions, and implement them – all with deep technical knowledge, not just documentation. The other team focuses on the vehicle itself, working across teams to ensure all subsystems of Terran R function together as intended, burning down technical risk, and driving informed decisions at every stage of the vehicle lifecycle. Engineers are empowered to lead high-impact efforts, from major test campaigns to console operations during launch, and are trusted to drive improvements across fluids, structures, avionics, and more. Regardless of which team you’re on, you’ll be part of a high-visibility, high-impact department at a pivotal moment in the program, where decisions made today on trades, architecture, and process will shape not just the first launch, but the long-term trajectory of Relativity.
About the Role:
This role is responsible for the full lifecycle of automation development – starting with CONOPs definition, then designing and implementing state-based automation, and finally verifying the system behavior in test environments. The automation you contribute to will control vehicle behavior during critical operations, including hotfire and launch. The role requires both hardware and software skills to do this reliably and efficiently. In this role, you will:
- Develop vehicle-level CONOPs for test, hotfire, and launch operations
- Collaborate with Responsible Engineers to define automation requirements across fluids, avionics, propulsion and mechanism subsystems
- Define and maintain the architecture for vehicle automation software used in ground and flight operations
- Author and review code
- Validate automation using physics-backed models integrated into CI/CD workflows
- Perform unit-, integration-, and system-level verification
- Provide console support and perform pre- and post-operation data
About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field
- 4+ years of relevant experience
- Experience applying engineering fundamentals across a wide range of functional disciplines
- Working literacy with one or more control-oriented software language(s) (Python, Rust, C++, etc)
Nice to haves but not required:
- Experience working in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary, or start-up environment
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.
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.
If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at accommodations@relativityspace.com.
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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the salary for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space?
The estimated salary range for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space is $132,000 - $198,000 USD per year.
What skills are required for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space?
The required skills for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space include: Python, Rust, C++, CI/CD, Agile.
What is the seniority level for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space?
Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space is a Senior level position.
How do I apply for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space?
You can view the full description and apply for Senior Vehicle Automation Engineer at Relativity Space on EchoJobs: https://echojobs.io/job/relativity-space-senior-vehicle-automation-engineer-t4xz3.