Staff Mechanical Engineer, Tooling

About the role

Space. Space. About the role This position focuses on designing and delivering tooling and automation equipment that supports production of the Terran R rocket and Aeon engine. You will work within a team that bridges design, manufacturing, and automation to solve real production challenges. The role offers direct involvement from concept through commissioning, with your work visible on the factory floor. The listing location is Long Beach, California.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Create production and development tooling along with automation systems for Terran R and Aeon engine programs
• Apply mechanical design and analysis principles across projects of varying scope and complexity in a fast-moving environment
• Use ASME Y14.5 standards to produce accurate tooling drawings and definitions
• Address a broad range of technical challenges involving material handling equipment, assembly fixtures, off-loaders, rotisseries, test fixtures, structural weldments, environmental chambers, and custom machinery
• Partner with component designers, manufacturing engineers, and integration teams to optimize safety, cost, quality, cycle time, delivery, reliability, lifespan, and maintenance
• Oversee projects end to end including vendor selection, fabrication, inspection, installation, and commissioning
• Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or equivalent field
• + years of hands-on experience designing, building, and commissioning tooling and fixtures for manufacturing, assembly, or test applications
• Proficiency with CAD and FEA software for structural analysis (NX and ANSYS Workbench preferred)
• Track record of completing projects through full lifecycle
• Background in strategic planning and project management for production tooling
• Strong knowledge of design for manufacturability and design for assembly, including transitioning products from prototype to production

Requirements

• Key facts

Location: Long Beach, California

Engagement: Full-time

Team: Tooling and Factory Automation What you'll do

Create production and development tooling along with automation systems for Terran R and Aeon engine programs

Apply mechanical design and analysis principles across projects of varying scope and complexity in a fast-moving environment

Use ASME Y14.5 standards to produce accurate tooling drawings and definitions

Address a broad range of technical challenges involving material handling equipment, assembly fixtures, off-loaders, rotisseries, test fixtures, structural weldments, environmental chambers, and custom machinery

Partner with component designers, manufacturing engineers, and integration teams to optimize safety, cost, quality, cycle time, delivery, reliability, lifespan, and maintenance

Oversee projects end to end including vendor selection, fabrication, inspection, installation, and commissioning Requirements

Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or equivalent field - 10+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, and commissioning tooling and fixtures for manufacturing, assembly, or test applications

Proficiency with CAD and FEA software for structural analysis (NX and ANSYS Workbench preferred)

Track record of completing projects through full lifecycle

Background in strategic planning and project management for production tooling Nice to have

Strong knowledge of design for manufacturability and design for assembly, including transitioning products from prototype to production

Familiarity with common manufacturing materials, GD&T, and tolerance stack-up analysis

Understanding of manufacturing processes and equipment such as mills, lathes, welding, sheet-metal bending, lifting/rigging, assembly, and inspection

Experience designing custom machines using motors, actuators, linear rails, pneumatics, and bearings Skills & tools

NX (preferred)

ANSYS Workbench (preferred)

ASME Y14.5 drafting standards

GD&T and tolerance analysis

FEA for structural applications Practical notes

Hiring range: $143,000 to $215,000 USD

Compensation determined by experience, qualifications, and job-related factors

Benefits include equity, generous PTO and sick leave, parental leave, and an annual learning and development stipend

About Relativity

Relativity is an American aerospace company that uses 3D printing and autonomous robotics to build rockets. Founded in 2015, the company is developing the Terran R, a fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle.

Software engineering work usually means turning product intent into systems that run in production. Engineers write and review code, break large changes into reviewable pieces, and watch how those changes behave after they ship. Most teams share on-call or incident habits so outages get a clear owner. Collaboration with product and design is part of the job, not an extra. The duties above are the ones this listing actually states for this opening.

About the location

The posting places this role in Long Beach, California. Local hiring markets vary in interview pace and compensation bands. Location copy is here so readers understand the geography attached to the title.