Manager, Turbomachinery Engineering

About the role

You will lead the design, analysis, and development of all turbomachinery products for the Terran R vehicle. This position involves managing a large, multi-disciplinary team and establishing the technical roadmap for the department. You will own the end-to-end technical strategy for turbomachinery, ensuring alignment with vehicle-level requirements and program objectives. The role requires you to foster a culture of innovation where rigorous analysis supports bold engineering decisions. You will be responsible for translating high-level mission goals into actionable technical plans for your department. This position demands strong judgment to prioritize trade-offs and resolve complex engineering conflicts. You will mentor future leaders within the propulsion organization, ensuring knowledge transfer and sustainable team development.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead a large engineering team through the full lifecycle of turbomachinery products, from concept to flight.
• Define department-wide roadmaps and design standards to support Terran R development and ensure technical coherence.
• Manage performance, recruitment, and professional growth for your direct reports to build a world-class engineering organization.
• Drive technical excellence while meeting ambitious project schedules through disciplined execution and proactive risk management.
• Collaborate across the organization to solve complex engineering challenges that span propulsion, structures, and integration.
• Establish and maintain rigorous engineering processes that improve quality, predictability, and team efficiency over time.
• Own the technical justification for key design decisions, ensuring traceability from requirements to validated hardware solutions.
• Partner with test and manufacturing teams to resolve issues, optimize processes, and accelerate delivery of flight hardware.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and methodologies to continuously improve the turbomachinery design and verification strategy.
• Serve as the technical authority for turbomachinery within the propulsion organization and represent this discipline in cross-functional forums.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in science, engineering, technology, or mathematics is mandatory for this role.
• 8+ years of engineering experience within complex system development environments is required for consideration.
• Proven track record of leading and developing high-performing engineering teams is essential for success.
• Professional experience with turbomachinery development must be demonstrated through past projects and achievements.
• Proficiency in applying mechanical, structural, thermal, and fluid design fundamentals is a hard requirement.
• Ability to deliver results under tight timelines using creative and unconventional solutions is expected.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are necessary to articulate technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• Experience working within a structured product development framework is required to ensure alignment and execution.

Nice to have

• Masters or doctorate degree in a relevant technical field may provide added depth for complex technical challenges.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) commercial tools is preferred.
• Proficiency with computer aided design (CAD) software is expected for effective design and communication.
• Experience designing and analyzing turbomachinery components such as impellers, inducers, turbines, diffusers, seals, and bearings is advantageous.
• Background in developing turbopumps for liquid propulsion rocket engines is highly relevant to this position.
• Experience working within a flight development program is valuable for understanding mission-critical requirements.

Practical notes

• Compensation includes salary and equity as outlined in the key facts section.
• Benefits include PTO, sick leave, parental leave, and an annual learning and development stipend for professional growth.
• Relativity is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes diverse candidates to apply.
• Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants by contacting accommodations@relativityspace.com to discuss needs.
• Unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies are not accepted, and direct submissions are required for consideration.
• This role is based in Long Beach, California, and requires physical presence at the designated work location.
• Travel may be required occasionally for business purposes, and candidates should be prepared for domestic and international trips as needed.
• Employment is contingent upon successful completion of any required background checks and authorization to work in the United States.
• Candidates must submit all application materials by the specified deadline to be fully considered for this position.
• The hiring team will review applications on a rolling basis, so early submission is encouraged to ensure full consideration.
• This position requires the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic aerospace environment with changing priorities.
• Successful candidates will demonstrate resilience, adaptability, and a strong commitment to the mission of Relativity.
• The selected candidate will be expected to actively participate in the continuous improvement of engineering processes and standards.
• This role offers the opportunity to have significant impact on the development of a groundbreaking launch vehicle system.