Spacecraft Responsible Engineer

The Interplanetary Sciences Program was established to expand access to scientific exploration across our solar system. Its mission is to make planetary research faster, more affordable, and more capable than ever before by rethinking how science missions are designed, built, and operated. The program aims to enable scientists to send instruments to distant worlds without decades of development or prohibitive costs. By creating a sustainable model for interplanetary exploration, we are transforming space science from an occasional event into a continuous process of discovery that accelerates knowledge, broadens participation, and inspires the next generation of explorers.

The Interplanetary Sciences Program is developing a privately funded science mission to Mars targeted for 2028. This mission will map shallow subsurface ice and geology, characterize Martian weather, enable next generation onboard processing and communication, and demonstrate a new philanthropic public-private partnership model for space science. As the Staff Spacecraft Responsible Engineer within the Interplanetary Sciences Program at Relativity Space, you will own the end-to-end definition, integration, and delivery of the spacecraft bus and its interaction with mission payloads. You will serve as the technical and programmatic focal point ensuring that spacecraft-level requirements, interfaces, and performance budgets (power, mass, thermal, comm, etc.) are properly defined, tracked, and met throughout the mission lifecycle.

You’ll collaborate across internal teams and with external spacecraft bus providers to ensure mission success, from design and procurement through integration, test, launch, and operations. This position blends systems engineering, vendor management, and hands-on mission execution, offering a high degree of ownership and impact.

About You:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline

7+ years of experience in spacecraft or satellite systems engineering, integration, or mission design

Proven ability to manage complex systems multiple vendors and customers

Strong understanding of spacecraft subsystems (power, thermal, comms, ADCS, propulsion, etc.) and their interdependencies

Experience leading cross-functional teams through integration and test, launch campaigns, or mission operations

Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership skills with the ability to interface across technical and programmatic boundaries

Nice to haves but not required:

Experience with end-to-end mission development, including payload-to-spacecraft integration

Familiarity with NASA or commercial spacecraft systems engineering processes in an applied / New-Space manner is a plus

Experience supporting launch and early operations of spacecraft missions

Prior work with deep-space or interplanetary spacecraft systems

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 — $246,000 USD

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.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at [email protected].

Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.