GNC Performance Engineer I

About Relativity Space

Relativity Space is building rockets to serve today's needs and tomorrow's breakthroughs. The Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting growing demand for launch capacity. Commercial success with Terran R will also open new opportunities in science, exploration, and innovation.

At Relativity, autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Engineers solve problems that have not been solved before, helping build a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up. Teams across propulsion, manufacturing, software, avionics, and corporate functions collaborate closely, and work moves from idea to hardware quickly.

About the Team

The Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) and Performance teams define and analyze how Terran R flies, from liftoff to landing. The work combines advanced modeling, orbital mechanics, software development, and dynamic systems to optimize every phase of flight. The department is part of the Integrated Performance team.

About the Role

• Carry out analysis for engineering design trades and drive design decisions based on the results.
• Implement, maintain, and improve software tooling in a variety of languages, from core simulation capabilities to peripheral analysis utilities.
• Maintain, establish, and sometimes lead cross-functional collaboration with key teams across Vehicle Engineering.

About You

• An undergraduate or graduate degree (BS/MS/PhD) in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field.
• Prior experience with heavy cross-functional collaboration in a fast-paced environment.
• Notable modern programming language experience (e.g. Python, Julia, Rust, C++).
• Demonstrated ability to turn complex analysis results into clear conclusions and recommendations that support rapid decision-making.
• Familiarity with architectural design and analysis of launch vehicle or space systems.
• Familiarity with trajectory design and optimization.

Nice to Haves (Not Required)

• Experience with advanced software development practices such as Docker, CI/CD, and dependency management.
• Prior work in a startup or agile development environment.

Relativity Space is an equal opportunity employer. Requests for reasonable accommodation can be sent to [email protected]. The company does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms.