Lead, Materials Characterization Engineer

At Relativity Space were building rockets to serve todays needs and tomorrows breakthroughs. OurTerran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit meeting the growing demand for launchcapacity. But thats just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock newopportunities to advance science exploration and innovation pioneering progress that reaches beyondthe known.

Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy ownership and impact exist at every level. Here youre not just executing tasks; youre solving problems that havent been solved before helping develop a rocket a factory and a business from the ground up. Whether youre in propulsion manufacturing software avionics or a corporate function youll 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 were writing together. Nowis a unique moment in time where its early enough to leave your mark on the product the process andthe culture but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The mostmeaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.

About the Team:

The Materials and NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) team plays a central role in enabling Terran R to fly re-fly and scale: developing characterizing and inspecting materials and processes across all parts of the vehicle. From welding and additive manufacturing to advanced composites the team works at the intersection of innovation and execution balancing performance and reliability with cost quality and schedule. As we move toward first flight and beyond the challenges become more exciting offering opportunities to shape how we design and develop for re-use. With ownership across products systems and disciplines engineers gain broad exposure and drive key decisions across design manufacturing and operations.

About the Role:

• Manage a team of materials characterization engineers set priorities provide mentorship and develop career growth paths.
• Foster a culture of safety technical excellence collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Direct the planning execution and review of material property testing (machining sample prep mechanical testing metallography SEM heat treatment thermal/chemical).
• Provide technical guidance on test method development data interpretation and root cause investigations for partner teams.
• Ensure test activities align with Terran-R program needs aerospace standards and customer/mission requirements.
• Partner with M&P design manufacturing quality and production teams to ensure timely and accurate data is delivered.
• Communicate results and insights to engineering leadership to drive decision making for material selection and qualification.
• Define roadmap for characterization capabilities to support future vehicle and propulsion systems.
• Develop budget staffing plans and resource strategies for the lab.
• Represent the characterization function in design reviews material down-selects and failure investigation.

About You:

• Bachelors degree in Materials Science Metallurgical Engineering Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 8 years of experience in materials characterization with at least 3 years in a leadership or management role.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of core materials characterization techniques (machining/sample prep mechanical testing SEM DSC/TGA metallography spectroscopy).
• Demonstrated experience leading teams managing schedules and delivering results in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical findings into actionable insights.

Nice to haves but not required:

• Masters or Ph.D in Materials Science or related discipline.
• Prior leadership experience in aerospace defense or rocket/space industry labs.
• Familiarity with materials (aluminum stainless Inconel copper). and processes (additive manufacturing welding adhesives polymers) used in propulsion and structural systems for aerospace applications.
• Proven record of developing new test methods and advancing lab capabilities.
• Experience with quality systems standards and compliance (ASTM AS9100 AWS D17.1 NASA ISO).

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.

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