Relativity Space

Senior RF Hardware Engineer

Relativity Space$148K — $222K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
  • 5+ years in electronics for harsh environments and mission-critical applications
  • Experience in hardware bring-up, validation, debugging, and data analysis
  • Collaborative experience with cross-functional teams to develop integrated electronics
  • Deep understanding of RF system fundamentals including impedance matching and transmission line theory

Responsibilities

  • Own development, testing, and integration of GPS-based navigation systems for Terran R
  • Conduct architectural trades in collaboration with partner teams
  • Develop acceptance and qualification test plans for avionics components
  • Provide critical sensory infrastructure for landing, recovery, and reuse of vehicle booster stage
  • Guide technical strategies for RF architecture, including telemetry and antenna systems
  • Mentor hardware engineers on RF design fundamentals
  • Review design analyses and support architectural trades across systems

Benefits

  • Competitive salary and equity
  • Generous PTO and sick leave policy
  • Parental leave
  • Annual learning and development stipend
Full Job Description
About the Team:

The Avionics team is responsible for the full lifecycle of Terran R's nervous system, designing, building, testing, installing, and operating the hardware that connects and controls every major electrical system on the vehicle and ground. The team leverages close partnership between avionics design, manufacturing, and test to enable rapid iteration and feedback loops. Engineers are deeply embedded into other functions within Relativity, working closely with propulsion, GNC, fluids, and stage engineering teams to ensure seamless integration and operation. Now is a unique time to join: you'll get to help shape Terran R's fundamental avionics architecture and be given a high degree of ownership on components that will fly.

About the Role:

In this role you will be responsible for owning the development, test and integration of GPS-based navigation system avionics used within the Terran R launch vehicle. You will work with cross-functional partner teams across the company, conducting architectural trades, developing acceptance and qualification test plans, while being responsible for critical sensory infrastructure allowing for the landing, recovery, and reuse of the vehicle booster stage. Furthermore, you'll help to provide technical guidance across the vehicle's RF architecture - including telemetry downlinks, command uplinks, and antenna system deployment. You'll mentor hardware engineers on RF design fundamentals, review design analyses, and support architectural trades. This cross-system collaboration ensuring that our RF systems work cohesively from design through operations.

About You:
  • - Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
  • 5+ years of experience in electronics designed for harsh environments and mission-critical applications such as launch vehicles, spacecraft, aircraft, or robotics
  • Experience with hardware bring-up, validation, debugging, and data analysis
  • Experience working with highly cross-functional teams (GNC, mechanical, electrical, software, etc.) to develop integrated electronics solutions
  • Deep understanding of RF system fundamentals including:
    • Impedance matching and transmission line theory
    • Link budget analysis and RF propagation effects
    • Antenna theory (gain, beamwidth, polarization, radiation patterns)

Nice to haves:
  • In-depth knowledge of GNSS receiver systems including PVT calculation, satellite tracking/acquisition, error sources, and RF front-end architecture
  • Understanding of RF communication systems including modulation schemes (FSK, PSK, OQPSK, SOQPSK), channel coding, and bit error rate analysis
  • Experience in combining data from various navigation sensors (GPS, IMU, magnetometers, altimeters, LiDAR, etc.) to achieve robust and accurate navigation solutions
  • Experience with high-speed serial interfaces (SPI, PCIe, Ethernet, etc.); memory interfaces; design for SoCs, microcontrollers, and microprocessors


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:

$148,000-$222,000 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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