Propulsion Structural Analysis Engineer II, Combustion Devices
How this pay compares
This posting states $104k–$156k a year. Open mechanical engineer jobs in California post a median of $158k a year, the middle half $130k–$180k, across 266 jobs that state their pay, so this one is within the middle half of what they post.
Mechanical engineers in California: pay by town and employer
About the job
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 Propulsion team at Relativity is focused on developing and delivering highly performant and manufacturable engines for Terran R.
Engineers are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their parts, from initial design through production to qualification and flight. The team fosters a culture of bottoms-up decision-making, free from technical gatekeeping, where ownership and accountability are key at all levels. But designing engines with a quarter million pounds of thrust is just the beginning.
As the flight configuration enters qualification, the team is now exploring modifications for future engines, including thrust upgrades, new cycles, and design for mass production. ## About the role - Support the design and qualification of Aeon-R combustion devices hardware throughout the entire development cycle, from initial concept through detailed design, testing, and flight, including high-fidelity modeling, test data analysis, model anchoring, and risk assessment - Performing hand calculations and FEM analysis to achieve structural closure, including but not limited to static structural, thermal, fatigue, and damage tolerance analyses - Interface with hardware designers to influence design decisions to ensure hardware meets performance and safety requirements - Define test objectives that validate analytical models and verify hardware performance ## About you - Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field - 2 or more years relevant experience in structural analysis or structural modeling - Experience applying engineering first principles in structural mechanics including but not limited to beam bending, pressure vessels, buckling, etc. - Experience applying engineering first principles in thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics - Familiarity with structural analysis packages (ANSYS, FEMAP, NASTRAN, ABAQUAS, etc.) ## Nice to haves, but not required - Experience with ANSYS Mechanical -Graduate degree engineering or science - Relevant experience in rocket engine development and/or test environment - Working knowledge of engine subsystems, such as combustion devices 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. ## Hiring Range $104,000 - $156,000 USD
From Relativity Space's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About Relativity Space
Builds reusable rockets that make access to space more reliable and routine.
Pay on its listings: 99.7% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
How it pays: Paid as an employee on Relativity Space's own payroll (salaried or hourly, as each posting states).
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