Staff Vehicle Fluid Systems Engineer (Product)
How this pay compares
This posting states $164k–$226k a year. Open propulsion engineer jobs in California post a median of $151k a year, the middle half $130k–$170k, across 118 jobs that state their pay, so this one is above the middle half of what they post.
Propulsion 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 Stage Fluids team designs and delivers the propellant, pressurant, pneumatics, and other fluid systems that turn structures into functioning rockets. The team has full ownership across design, production, test, and flight, maintaining a holistic view of Terran R, focused not on isolated parts but integrated functionality.
Working on-site at the factory means you’re never far from the hardware, enabling rapid iteration and tight feedback loops across design and manufacturing.
You won’t just be handed requirements: you’ll be expected to ask the right questions, collaborate with partners across the company, and ultimately find the best solutions for Terran R. ## About the Role As a Vehicle Fluids Product Responsible Engineer, you will be responsible for the fluid system architecture and function for a given vehicle product line.
You will apply deep expertise in system architecture, complex systems operations, and fluid thermodynamics applications to guide hardware design, system analysis, manufacturing, validation and operations. ## You Will - Own the integrated stage-level fluid architecture and schematics, ensuring seamless functionality across all propellant, pressurant, and pneumatic subsystems - Lead cross-functional interface definitions and negotiations with partner vehicle teams (Propulsion/Engine, Structures, GNC, and Avionics) to ensure flawless system integration - Assist with sizing and fluid 1D steady-state thermofluids analysis at both the system and component levels when necessary to - Define development, qualification, and acceptance testing scopes to buy down technical risk prior to vehicle-level integrated testing - Participate in concept of Operations (CONOPS) development and operation data review to take ultimate ownership of the successful operational philosophy and testing execution of the fluid systems at the integrated vehicle level ## About You - Bachelor’s degree (Mechanical Engineering or relevant) - 7+ years of experience working with complex fluids systems - Strong background in fluid system architecture, operations and application of engineering fundamentals in system design, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer - Proficient with one or more fluid or thermal modeling tools for internal compressible and incompressible fluid analysis - Experience using programming languages such as Matlab, Python, or C++ for data analysis or modeling - Direct experience designing or operating launch vehicle or spacecraft fluid or propulsion systems Nice to haves but not required: - Experience with certification of a vehicle fluid system for NSSL and/or range certification 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 $164,000 - $225,500 USD
From Relativity Space's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
Selected agencies hiring now
Moseley Technical ServicesEngineering and technical staffing agency
Engineering and technical staffing firm in Huntsville, Alabama, placing engineers and A&P, sheet metal, CNC and quality technicians.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
Contract Professionals Inc (CPI)Engineering and technical staffing agency
Aerospace and defense staffing firm in Waterford, Michigan, placing engineers, maintenance technicians, mechanics, welders and CNC machinists.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
These agencies and apps pay SpaceJobs.Now a referral fee when someone we introduce is placed or signs up. It costs you nothing and never changes your pay. Employers' own jobs below keep their own order.
Sponsored jobs from job networks, which pay SpaceJobs.Now when you click one.
Free tools for this application: check your resume against this job, answer the application's questions or see every free tool.
New mechanical, structures and thermal engineering jobs in space in California, by email
One email a week with the newest ones, straight from the employers' own careers sites, with the pay each posting states. Free, stop anytime.
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).
More open jobs at Relativity Space
- Vehicle Structures Engineer I (Heat Shield)$90,000–$136,000/yr
- EHS Specialist II - Environmental Compliance$74,000–$112,000/yr
- Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Mechanisms$122,000–$182,000/yr
- Propulsion Integration & Test Engineer I, First shift$93,000–$139,000/yr
- Relativity Space Hiring Event | Long Beach | Nov. 19th
- Staff Technical Product Manager, Configuration Management$175,000–$263,000/yr
More mechanical, structures and thermal engineering jobs in space
- Loads & Dynamics Engineer (Starshield)$100,000–$160,000/yr
- Spacecraft Dynamics Engineer$136,000–$220,000/yr
- Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer$150,000–$200,000/yr
- Senior Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer - Composites and Structures$175,000–$215,000/yr
- Vehicle Structures Engineer I (Heat Shield)$90,000–$136,000/yr
- Strength Analyst 3$99,604–$166,007/yr
A mechanical, structures or thermal engineer?
One profile for every employer here. Space companies and their recruiters ask us for people with a specific degree, clearance, specialty or location: add yours once, and when a job fits, we introduce you, only with your yes. Free.
Relativity Space openings, sent to you weekly
Each week we send the newest postings from Relativity Space's own careers site, along with similar openings at other space employers. It costs nothing and you can stop anytime.