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Relativity Space · 4 hours ago

Lead, Materials Characterization Engineer

Long Beach, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$138K/yr - $176K/yr

8+ years exp

Relativity Space is building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. The Lead, Materials Characterization Engineer will manage a team of engineers, oversee material property testing, and ensure alignment with aerospace standards while fostering a culture of safety and technical excellence.

3D TechnologyAerospaceArtificial Intelligence (AI)Manufacturing

Responsibilities

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

Qualification

Materials characterizationMechanical testingLeadership experienceMetallographySEMTest method developmentContinuous improvementCommunication skillsCollaboration

Required

Bachelor's 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

Preferred

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)