Relativity Space

Moonshot Engineer

Relativity Space • $144K — $307K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or related field.
  • 7+ years of experience in the design and delivery of complex systems or products.
  • Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, lead technical projects, and manage timelines.
  • Deep expertise in one core engineering discipline with familiarity across multiple disciplines.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills for effective collaboration.
  • Hands-on experience in design, build, and testing of hardware and/or software prototypes.

Responsibilities

  • Identify and explore world-changing ideas in the space sector.
  • Prototype new technologies and conduct thorough testing.
  • Organize and manage contributions from cross-disciplinary team members.
  • Lead technical aspects of moonshot projects from conceptualization to realization.
  • Perform detailed design, analysis, and vendor management for projects.
  • Contribute to additional moonshot initiatives through technical exploration.

Benefits

  • Competitive salary and equity options.
  • Generous paid time off and sick leave policy.
  • Parental leave.
  • Annual learning and development stipend.
Full Job Description
About the Team:

Dark Matter Lab is a high-autonomy innovation lab built for rapid experimentation, deep-tech prototyping, and bold moonshot thinking. We're a small team of hands-on builders exploring the edges of what's possible, turning raw ideas into world-changing technologies that could reshape the future of aerospace and beyond.

Here, there are no roadmaps handed down - only frontiers to navigate. We operate with speed, embrace ambiguity, and value learning through building. Whether we're developing new hardware, prototyping full-stack systems, or pursuing ideas with breakthrough potential, our work lives at the edge of what's next. You'll be part of a small, multidisciplinary team empowered to define your own projects, move fast, and bring ideas to life. Ideas that one day may advance space systems, autonomous factories, or entirely new industries.

Dark Matter Lab lives within Relativity Space, a company building the next-generation commercial rocket. By incubating bold ideas and exploring novel applications of Relativity's core capabilities, Dark Matter Lab aims to create high-impact programs with long-term value for Relativity, the aerospace industry, and society at large.

If you're driven by curiosity, motivated by impact, and excited to work where the rules haven't been written yet, Dark Matter Lab is where you belong.

About the Role:

As part of the 10-person founding team of Dark Matter Labs, you'll be empowered to identify, explore, analyze, prototype, and realize world-changing ideas in space. This role will allow you to bring your own passions for space as well as explore, find, and prove out new moonshots on the cutting edge of science and engineering.

Moonshot Engineers will be wearing many different hats, from technical leadership, detailed design & analysis, prototype build & testing, vendor management & POs, and other responsibilities necessary to make moonshots a reality.

This role will be expected to take ownership of a handful of moonshots and drive them all the way from an ambiguous "What if..." idea, organizing contributions from other lab members, proving the idea via prototype testing, and finally realizing the idea through design and production of a scaling product. Likewise, this role will also be contributing directly to a number of other moonshots through technology exploration, detailed analysis, part design, prototype build or testing, and other engineering efforts.

About You:
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field.
  • 7+ years of experience in design and delivery of complex systems or products
  • Passionate self-starter with a track record of charting a path through ambiguity, leading technical projects, organizing efforts & people, and managing timelines and expectations
  • Deep technical expertise in one core discipline (i.e. Mechanical, Electrical, Software, etc.) but familiar & comfortable with a multitude of other disciplines
  • Great communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with many different other mindsets and perspectives and willingness to challenge and be challenged
  • Hands-on design, build, and test experience with hardware and/or software required for prototyping - familiar with or willing to learn CAD, EE/PCB, harnessing, embedded SW, python, test hardware, etc...

Nice to have but not required:
  • Proven track record of delivering tangible hardware or product in highly open ended or ambiguous environments or product spaces
  • Prior experience at hardware & software early phase technology exploration or innovation labs (i.e. GoogleX, Skunkworks, etc..)


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:

$144,000-$307,000 USD

About Relativity Space

Relativity Space is an American aerospace manufacturer that is developing 3D printed rockets. The company was founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Relativity Space's goal is to reduce the cost and time required to produce rockets by using 3D printing technology. The company's rockets are designed to be fully reusable, which could significantly reduce the cost of space launches. Relativity Space has received funding from a number of investors, including Mark Cuban and Playground Global.
Learn more about Relativity Space
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2016

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